Okay so like
I've had the next two chapters at least ready for a while, and the third chapter I was at a standstill because it was getting too long so eventually I cut it into a fourth chapter but that meant that the third chapter was too short so I had to add to that chapter so then I eventually finally finished the fourth chapter and here we are.
What? A normal updating schedule you say? Posting a chapter as soon as you finish it instead of backlogging like three to four that I post all at once every like three months you say? Preposterous! Foolish! A scenario too rational to become reality!
Seriously though the reason this happens is that I end up getting epiphanies and inspiration and writing way too much down and so then I don't want to go backwards and edit a chapter when I realize that the chapter I'm on has gotten too long and I need to move on to the next. Or, on the contrary, I don't think that the info that managed to become a whole chapter will be satisfying to read, so I wait until I can add a more juicy chapter alongside it. And then I move further forward because I like to write new stuff, not edit old stuff, and yet I refuse to post chapters without at least glancing over them again for errors. I have, like, writing inertia - this object in motion wants to stay in motion, because once I'm stuck at rest I'ma stay at rest until finally some outside force smacks me into inspiration again at random.
I sawwy to the like 5 people who might actually follow me on a consistent basis and look forward to what I write. For now, uh, enjoy four chapters of me rambling! :)
Third Person: Ane
"Hm, he pushed himself pretty far." The punk girl walked over, looking down at Nico. His entire body was completely transparent.
"Is he fading?!" Reyna rushed over and tried to touch Nico, but her hands passed right through. She recoiled with a jolt. "We have to save him. There must be a way. Ane!"
She sat down and reached out trying to touch Nico. She felt the cold disturbance of her hands passing through his body and tried sending energy into him to solidify him. He flickered for a few moments, but Ane couldn't sustain the energy flow. Nico flickered back to completely transparent.
"What's wrong?" Reyna snapped.
"I can't…" Ane sucked in a few deep breaths. She realized she was sweating. "Not enough power. Too weak. And Nico's overloaded his…Underworld-y powers. Death energy…it can't bring him back. All I can do is keep him here for a little longer. I can't heal him…even when I recover my energy."
"Meaning we can't move him," Hedge grumbled.
"Get the supplies!" Reyna ordered. "Nectar, ambrosia, unicorn draught. Anything!"
"If he's not solid, we might not even be able to feed those to him," Ane pointed out. "I'll try my best to make sure that he doesn't die, but my energy won't be able to heal him."
"If death energy can't help, then I can try my hand at some good old satyr cures! Don't worry! I've got just the thing!" Hedge rushed away, trying to search for some natural ingredients.
"I'll be able to keep him here - he's not dead," Ane assured Reyna. "When I recover some energy of my own, I'll be able to solidify him for longer so maybe whatever Hedge is planning will work."
"How long?" Reyna demanded.
"I don't know. It depends on Nico's strength as well."
The punk goth girl plopped down beside them. "He'll live," she said.
Reyna's eyes narrowed. "And who are you?"
"I'm called Pain. Sandy's been going nuts looking after Ane, but more importantly, Boss sent me here…for some reason. Usually I at least get a bit of the action. Bryce was right up my alley, too. Orcus? Ugh, love that guy. I'm a kid of Nemesis, so I do enjoy people getting what's coming to them, and kicking Orcus and his people for their crimes is always so satisfying…" she hissed. "Not to mention I've got a bit of Fury powers. I love some good retribution." She frowned. "But Boss never sends us places without a reason. She even predicted us going to fight that stupid giant hunter a couple days ago when Sandy came screaming that we needed to help Ane."
"You fought Orion?"
She shrugged. "Yeah."
"Did you meet Hylla? The queen of the Amazons," Reyna elaborated. "Was she okay?!"
Pain reeled, flinching from Reyna's outburst. "Yeah, that girl was kicking ass before we got there. The Hunters were setting the guy on fire. We got them to retreat before we beat that giant's ass. Hylla's fine. But you should worry about when Orion reemerges."
"They weren't able to finish him off?" Reyna frowned. "Of course not."
"We finished him off," Pain snapped. "But Boss says he'll be back, and when she says something, we believe her."
"Does she have some prophetic power?"
Pain nodded. "Scarily so. But the point is, I may have been sent here alone, but I was still sent here for a reason. It's not like Boss ordered me to take you out or make your lives harder, so-"
"Do!" Ane's poodle snapped.
Reyna held up her sword, her eyes darting around. "A threat?"
Ane held up her bow from Kaze. "Something fast. I can't-"
"Kid!" Pain dived and tackled Ane, wrapping her body around the smaller girl just as Pain was struck from behind by an arrow.
The arrow flashed and disappeared once it had pierced Pain, vanishing without a trace. Pain rose quickly, looking around as frantically as Reyna.
"Didn't hear a grunt," she muttered.
"What?" Ane snapped.
"I sent the arrow back to whoever shot it; they should've gotten skewered by it! At the very least, we should've heard them being hit, a grunt of pain or a noise of surprise. I don't have Quake's hearing, but-"
She cut herself off, shoving Reyna out of the way as she was struck dead at the base of her neck, a shot that definitely should've been fatal. But the arrow once again disappeared and Pain was left without a scratch.
"Orion?" Reyna inquired.
"No. He shouldn't be back yet! Besides, Boss wouldn't make me save your sorry asses from him alone…" She glanced down at Nico. "Can't move him, therefore can't move the rest of your party. I'm supposed to be able to make a stand here and now. Ugh, I hate it when Boss sends me in alone without instructions!"
"Do," Ane's familiar said to her.
Ane nodded. "Right. We're going ahead!"
She dashed away despite Reyna and Pain protesting. Ane may be small, but she was still fast enough to easily outpace them. She sprinted down the road back towards the Buford Zippy Mart, though she had no intention of actually making it there.
"Come on! I know you're tracking me, so get on with it!"
She held up her bow just in time to be met with a red longbow far taller than she was. Behind it was an unfamiliar yet staggeringly familiar face.
"Papa…?"
She'd learned about the Reanimations from Rei, about how Gaea had taken both her father and Kaze's mother and transformed them into…these things. The murky aura of death was nauseating, even for Ane, who had been born in Tartarus and remained there for centuries. His porcelain-like face filled with small cracks gave him a very inhuman gaze - along with his black sclera accentuating deep blue eyes.
He was far taller than her now, and even with some of her most recent Remnants, he still towered over her. But it was better than nothing. She summoned some of her oldest and more recent Remnants, growing up to be a teenager sparking with the electricity of pure lightning bolts. She channeled the lightning through her bow and down her father's to zap him with as much electricity as she could.
He didn't react with pain, but the electricity did manage to create a powerful discharge in the air, blowing up between them and shoving both of them back.
"Papa…?" Ane called a little more forcefully.
He charged back in with incredible speed, smacking Ane with his bow hard enough to throw her back despite her being fast enough to at least raise her own weapon to block. Thankfully, Kaze appeared to have built the weapon to be strong enough to handle the Reanimation's attacks - probably because Kaze himself was a Reanimation. Ane barely managed to stay on her feet, trying to adjust to her new height. Though it wasn't unfamiliar - her big sister's Remnants being part of her - Ane in terms of being No. 1 was used to being a small four-year-old.
Her father charged in again, and this time, Ane planted her feet behind her and clashed with him, straining all her Remnants into matching his strength. "Papa, why won't you speak to me?!"
Ane felt her strength waning. She was already burnt out from fighting and banishing Bryce, and she found ever more reasons to resent the fact that being in the Overworld meant her power drained faster and she couldn't sustain the kind of power she was able to back in Tartarus.
Ane was thrown back, her feet getting tangled as she tried to catch herself, and she barely had enough time to block another strike from her father before she was struck like a baseball and launched away in an arc that might've been called a home run. She hit the dirt, sliding through the ground as her body was burnt away back to her original form in order to keep her from sustaining injury. While she didn't have a scratch on her, she was out of energy.
She raised her bow with both hands just in time as her father came down on her with a downwards swing, both his position above her and his significant strength pushing her bow down against her trembling arms.
"Papa…! Papa, it's me! Please…Papa!" Ane could barely speak - if she needed to breathe, technically she might not have been able to manage what she did.
Her body was going to give out. She was going to return to Tartarus. A part of her wondered if she'd done enough. She wondered if she'd seen enough of this world to be satisfied being trapped down there for another few centuries - or maybe just forever. She wondered if she was okay leaving the fate of this war to the others without being there to help.
And she definitely knew the answer was no.
She wanted to see more of this world with Nico, she wanted to see the camps and the world that her big sister and all her friends were trying so hard to save, she wanted to prove that she could beat this Reanimation - she was strong enough to do this, dammit! She wasn't going to lose against her father.
She didn't want to go back. She didn't want to die.
Ane was everything that her big sister left behind, the one who suffered the consequences of dying so that Rei didn't have to. She gave everything to her big sister - the true Rei - including her name, her life, her deaths, her fate, her future. Ane was a mistake, the leftovers left behind whenever Rei was supposed to die, the punishment that came from cheating death so many times.
But Ane was going to become her own person now. She was going to make a place for herself in this world - starting with proving that she could be useful to this quest.
"Papa, I miss you so much…!" She sucked in a deep breath and summoned the power of her Curse, pushing through her feelings of desperation and determination. Ane was a monster, but she was made from a human - she was a human! She was her own person now! "But I want to live! I'm going to live! I'm going to win!"
She leaked the glowing green fires of Curse and pushed the flames down her bow and onto her father's.
His eyes dilated just slightly, and maybe it was her imagination, but she saw a flicker of…realization. Awareness?
"Papa? Papa, can you hear me?" She grit her teeth and pushed her bow forward - and Kandai was pushed back, his force weakening. "Papa!"
He flinched. He was no longer pushing down against her, just holding his position. His mouth opened, as though he was trying to speak, but he wasn't capable. As if he'd entirely forgotten how to speak. Or because he was afraid to.
"Please, I need you right now! If you're in there, I need your help!"
"Rei…" His voice was strained, as though he was resisting speaking - resisting coming back to his senses.
"Yes! Come on, just a little more. Free him!"
She sucked in a deep breath and then threw her Curse fire at her father. He recoiled, the Curse fires absorbing into his skin. His glowing molten coat flickered in patches like cooling lava. He was thrown off of Ane, stumbling and clutching his head screaming.
"Papa…Papa come back to me."
He stared down at her for a moment, his eyes slowly focusing.
Then he turned and ran.
He ran faster than Ane could keep up with. That was probably because she was blacking out.
'I don't wanna go.'
Ane's eyes fell closed and she drifted away into the void.
First Person: Emily
"So…uh…nice to meet you all?"
Over a dozen pairs of eyes rested on me from all directions with varying levels of interest. All of them felt discouraging.
"She is pretty," the one called Lust muttered. "In a nerdy kinda way."
"Uh…thanks?"
"Hm…it wasn't a compliment."
"Oh, um, well…still thanks?
Lust shook her head. "I'm out." She turned and retreated.
As she left, she passed by Hatter and slapped a few coins into his palm.
"Will she be working with me?" Forge asked.
"No," Boss said flatly.
"Then I'm out too." He turned and left along with Lust.
"Pardon their rudeness." A girl stepped up and held her hand out to me. "I'm Iota. LK-11. Nice to meet you."
I instinctively reached out my hand to clasp hers. A moment too late, I realized the odd feeling that I was getting from her. Though no harm was done, I felt a strong electric current surge through me, as if I'd touched one of those electric generators used in a physics class (one time our entire class clasped hands while standing on chairs before the guy at the end of the chain touched the metal doorframe - all of us were zapped, but the poor boy who'd touched the metal was shocked the hardest).
"Nice to meet you," I muttered.
For a moment, it felt like my body was on pause. My powers couldn't touch anything from Iota, even though I'd been able to sense something from her before. And it wasn't just her. I couldn't feel anyone anymore.
Before I could panic, she released my hand and everything returned to normal.
"So, you're gonna be working with us, right?" Iota smiled warmly. "It's a pleasure. I hope we get along. You're nothing like Lust."
"For better or worse," War grumbled. "But aren't you closer to her than Lust?"
"Oh, not really. I'm just…no, I'm not that good."
War snorted and flipped her bangs aside. "Whatever. I'ma go join Forge. But at least you're not annoying, newbie. Can't wait to see if you've got some skill on the battlefield." She grinned as she passed by and followed after Forge.
"Nice to meet you." Another girl walked up and thrust her hand out. "Seven. LK-7, fittingly enough. If Famine trusts you, then I don't see an issue. Just don't pry into my head, will you? I get enough of that from the others."
"I won't," I promised. "'I'll try, at least. I still can read people…normally, you know? Same way you get a feeling from someone just based on their mood."
She nodded. "Yeah, I get that."
"Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd be fine letting you into my head," Mirage grinned. Their odd black and white color palette was slightly hard to stare at, but it got easier if you just didn't focus too hard on the details. "I wonder what you'll find, little kitten."
"Huh?" I tilted my head. Mirage did indeed have a very…disrupted aura. It was like they were there, but not…there. They took up space, they were a living presence, but just like with their outer appearance, if I looked too hard, they started to become hard to…sense. They were just a void, a bundle of magic converging into a vague shape that resembled a human. "Well…I'd like to get to know you too, Mirage."
"I look forward to it. Unfortunately, I have business to attend to. There are few days left to prepare. I wonder if we'll get the chance to truly get to know each other before this war ends. Let us place our bets now, for even Seven may not be able to tell."
"Hey!" Seven protested. "Are you doubting my ability?"
Mirage giggled in a creepy yet soothing tone. "No, no, darling. But no one can truly control all fate and still resemble a human with a soul. How long will it be, I wonder, before each of you ascend to heights beyond what you are now? Will you all survive with your humanity intact?" Mirage's unnerving eyes gazed down at me. "You may be an important key to such a thing, dear."
With that, Mirage stepped back and faded like a…well, a Mirage.
"Don't mind Mirage," Iota insisted. "They're just a bit…weird. But that's what makes them so charming. They're really not that bad if you get used to them."
I nodded. "Right. I get more…enigmatic intimidation than real malice. Though I can sense they can be pretty scary if they need to be."
"They're a lot of things. But if Mirage takes an interest in you, then that should be good. I think."
"Just don't get on their shit radar," Hatter said. He grimaced. "You know how when you pull a prank on someone you can end up starting a prank war and are stuck constantly on edge about getting mostly harmless pranks disrupting your everyday life?"
"Uh…no?" I shook my head. "I've never had a prank war before…"
"Lucky you. Anyway, I'm Hatter. I like snakes, booze, annoying people, and ramming into things - not necessarily in that order." He held out his hand.
"Cool." I clasped my hand in his and a small snake slipped down out of his jacket, flicking its tongue and tickling my wrist before retreating up his arm once more. "Oh, and don't give up on Pestilence," I whispered. "Just don't try and force things and be yourself around her and you'll easily win her over. In fact, you're already closer than you think."
Hatter's eyes widened.
"Hey, what was that about me?!" Pestilence called.
"You and Hatter are…friends, right?" I said at normal volume.
Pestilence rolled her eyes. "'Friends' is…a word, yes."
"Oh, you mean we're more than friends?!" Hatter exclaimed. He dashed over to her and threw his arm over her shoulder. "Is this a confession?"
"NO! Get off, you stupid goat!"
Pain shook her head. "Ignore them. Nice to see you're choosing the cool kids."
"I'm not choosing sides," I protested.
"Whatever lets you sleep at night, kiddo. But what convinced y'all to let her join? You included, Hezesto."
"She will be useful," Boss said flatly. Her voice rarely expressed any shift in tonations, I'd noticed.
"I volunteered her," Famine admitted. "She's very powerful, can you not sense it?"
"Ah, so she's your new pet project then?" Hatter said. "Gotta admit, you are a curious one, eh? If dear old Fam has taken an interest in you, you'd better watch out."
"At least she's invincible," Pestilence shrugged. "Anyway, they call me Tilly around here for some reason. I'd rather have it from you than Hatter, so go ahead and call me that if you want."
I had a feeling that Pestilence actually did like the name Tilly, though she'd never admit to liking a nickname that Hatter gave her. A lot of Pestilence was at odds, her pride and her annoyance with Hatter clashing with knowing that he was kind and genuine on the inside. She also felt pity for him - as well as the other Lab Kids who never knew what freedom was.
Sure, she thought her life wasn't all that exciting before she'd come to the Wards, but when she'd joined up with other LKs, she'd realized just how isolated they had been. They hardly knew of basic foods or games or sayings. Suddenly, Pestilence was having fun teaching the LKs about the real world. It felt like she had some kind of forbidden knowledge that she got to enlighten them with.
"Famine has taken responsibility for her," Boss said simply, stormy eyes locking onto Famine. "You are in charge of keeping her from misbehaving. You wished for her to be trained, and so you will train her."
Famine nodded. "Understood."
Those two were so stiff around each other. It was a kind of mutual respect, but it was hard to tell which one of them had more leadership qualities. Famine was older and wiser and clearly a leader, but Boss was in charge and knew what she was doing as well.
"Hurry up with the introductions," Boss ordered. "Quake, Pain, I have a mission for each of you. Seven, take Sandy back to his tent. I need you, him, and Iota back on reconnaissance. Pestilence, Hatter, go monitor the Roman army. Last thing we need is the monsters getting ancy and killing allies or even launching an early attack. Keep them at a stalemate. You'll rotate shifts with War and Forge or Lust and Mirage."
"Yes ma'am," they all answered in concert.
Boss nodded and walked away. She didn't introduce herself, though she really didn't need to.
"I really don't have to introduce myself," Pain said. "Hope we get along, Hezesto." She rushed after Boss, calling for what her mission was.
Pestilence sighed. "Monitoring that stupid army is such bull. Lust and Mirage have so much more fun with them."
"Come on, Tilly, don't be such a downer," Hatter urged. "I'll make 'em dance the macarena for you."
"Don't rile them up, Hatter. We don't want them getting angrier than they already are. That's just more work for us."
"Come on, sweetheart, you know me better than that. We can just have a nice party for them to relax at."
"So you say. But you and I have varying definitions of relaxation." She sighed and turned my way, waving her hand. "See you later, Emily."
The pair continued their bickering as they departed, but it was clearly all in good fun.
"Go on, introduce yourself," Iota was urging.
She pushed a young boy forward. He had a mass of curly hair that he tried to use to hide his face with, dressed in a comfortable, fluffy kimono that looked soft and easy to fall asleep in. "Sandy…" he said lightly.
"Sandman, do not be so quiet," Famine demanded.
"You don't need to be so harsh," I chided. I held out my hand. Sandy was clearly younger than me, but he wasn't much shorter (since I was small). "Nice to meet you, Sandy."
He seemed pleased to be called Sandy rather than Sandman and reached out to clasp my hand. His hand was cold, as though he didn't have good circulation - or perhaps because he had a lower heart rate than normal people and therefore produced less heat energy than normal. Maybe because he was wrapped in warm clothing and blankets all the time.
"He's more confident when he's Astral-Projecting," Iota said.
Sandy had that dazed, sleepy look that most of the Hypnos kids back at Camp Half-Blood had.
I smiled as warmly as possible, releasing an aura of relaxation. "I'll let you get back to sleep. Nice meeting you."
"You too," he muttered.
"Come on, Iota," Seven urged. "Back to 'reconnaissance.'" She began guiding Sandy away, the boy basically leaning on her and sleepwalking as he went.
"Of course." Iota turned to Famine. "Go easy on her, okay? It's her first day dealing with us, and you shouldn't scare her away."
Famine frowned. "I promised to train her quickly. We have not the time to dally."
Iota merely shook her head. "You win more flies with honey than vinegar. Not that I'm implying you're a fly!" She waved her hands defensively. "But a kind girl will give you more when you treat her kindly."
"So you say."
"I speak the truth! Have I ever given you any reason to doubt me?"
"Many."
Iota rolled her eyes, though I could sense that the words stung more than Iota let on. She had some insecurities, I felt, about her place on the team. "Whatever. But you must admit, it's easier to work with people who are willing. If she gives you trouble, Emily, talk to me. And that goes for Lust and War and Mirage and…well, anyone that would cause you trouble on this team."
"Even Boss?" I asked cheekily.
"Even her," Iota reaffirmed. "Not that Boss causes a lot of trouble. She struggles to even crack a smile."
"She can smile," Quake protested.
Iota seemed startled. I couldn't blame her. Quake hadn't said a word this entire time. He was more of a calm and stoic kind of guy, only speaking when he needed to and otherwise taking in information through observation without affecting things himself.
I could hardly sense anything from Quake, though it wasn't because he was resistant to my powers or negating them or anything, but Quake was just that calm and reserved of a person. He seemed utterly focused, though perhaps that was because he was good at meditating and focusing himself. He had plenty of independent thoughts, but he kept them in the back of his mind, almost like he was afraid that thinking his own thoughts would hurt too much. In a way, that was how everyone in this team was. If they thought too hard about their situation, it might drive them mad. Well, madder than most of them already were.
"Quake," he said simply. His mouth moved open and closed, but for some reason it didn't look like he'd actually spoken. It was like anime dubbing where the lip-syncing didn't precisely match with the words. "Do not cause trouble," he said almost robotically.
"Right…"
He turned and walked away, bare feet gliding through the grass.
"Quake's a good guy," Iota assured me. "Very focused, won't let you down in a fight. I look forward to getting to work with you! Bye!"
She dashed off and then motioned as if she were going to make a large leap. The air pressure thickened and she transformed into a lightning bolt shooting up into the sky similar to how Rei could.
"We'll get some food and water in you before we get to work," Famine announced. "I want you controlling your abilities by the end of the day, understood? We have until midnight. We don't make it by then, you won't be eating again."
I flinched, forced to follow Famine towards a tent that appeared to be a dedicated dining hall.
I could hardly make out what I should think about Famine. On the one hand, she seemed like she cared somewhere underneath that cold façade, and other times she seemed genuinely that cruel. Well, either way, this was gonna be…fun?
Third Person: Ane
A flock of ravens circled in a dark sky. Then the ravens turned into horses galloping through the surf.
Ella the harpy, with her shaggy red hair and red feathers, eyes like dark coffee, perched on the couch of the Big House's living room. Propped next to her was the magical stuffed leopard head Seymour. Ella rocked back and forth, feeding the leopard Cheetos.
"Cheese is not good for harpies," she muttered. Then she scrunched up her face and chanted one of her memorized lines of prophecy: "The fall of the sun, the final verse." She fed Seymour more Cheetos. "Cheese is good for leopard heads."
Seymour roared in agreement.
Ella changed into a dark-haired, extremely pregnant cloud nymph, writhing in pain in a camp bunk bed. Clarisse La Rue sat next to her, wiping the nymph's head with a cool cloth. "Mellie, you'll be fine," Clarisse said, though she sounded worried.
"No, nothing is fine!" Mellie wailed. "Gaea is rising!"
Ane was in Tartarus, standing before Akhlys, the goddess of misery. Blood streaked her cheeks, tears streamed from her eyes and dripped on the shield of Hercules in her lap. "What more could I do to you, child? You are naught but sorrow and pain!"
Ane was young, first meeting the goddess as she had met so many others. "I am human…"
The goddess's laugh tore through the air. There was no humor, however, only pure agony that came when all one could do was laugh in the face of absolute hopelessness. "You will never leave this place. This is your home; the place where we monsters exist for eternity."
Ane was older, she had been there for countless years. She had learned the ways of Tartarus, learned to exist as a monster. She grew more and more powerful as Rei died more and more. She wandered in the barren land of horrid life, neither friend nor enemies with each monster she passed.
"I am human," she muttered, squeezing her stuffed animal. Her eyes were blank and lifeless by that point. "I am human…"
She stood before the goddess of misery again. Akhlys took pleasure in her visits, reveling in her eternal agony.
"Let me pass," she ordered.
"And why should I do that?" the goddess crooned. "You're my beautiful pet, living in eternal misery - born of nothing but sorrow and pain! You cannot exist as anything else!"
"The Doors are open," Ane muttered. "I will get back. I will see the world again. And you will not be the one to stop me."
Ane gasped.
Her eyes flew open.
"Do…"
Ane was lying on her back, staring at the sunlight in the tree branches. It felt like she hadn't seen the sun in an eternity, as though she had emerged from Tartarus for the first time. The sun was bright, the air was cool and fresh, the trees were beautiful and living - though the dying leaves were turning different shades, slowly but surely.
Her familiar climbed onto her chest and sat down, stuffed feet spread to Ane's shoulders while it leaned forward and tried to look at her.
"Huh?"
"Do."
She pulled herself upright, her poodle rolling backwards so that it was in her lap instead. She ran her hands along its soft fur before picking it up and squeezing it. "I am human…"
"Do," it agreed.
"Ane?" Reyna was lying nearby, but she quickly stirred from her sleep and crawled over. The bleeding cut on her face was barely visible, nearly gone entirely. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," she said. "I think…yeah, I'm fine. How long…?"
"A few days," Reyna admitted. "Pain brought you back and then…she just left. But my sister and the Hunters are okay, at least. Many of them were slain during the initial ambush, but our retreat didn't get any more of them. At least, to Pain's knowledge. I don't trust her, but…"
"Hylla's tough. So is Thalia. They'll keep their people safe, you know that."
She twisted her ring, the one that matched Hylla's. "Yes."
Ane straightened up. "Nico! What happened? I-"
"Hedge has been working some magic," Reyna explained. "He's managed to solidify Nico a couple times, so he hasn't completely faded on us, but…"
"I can help. Hedge had that magic plan or whatever, didn't he?"
"Yeah. But the problem is, Nico won't stay solid long enough for it to take effect."
"I'll solidify him, then Hedge can do his work. And there are some things I have to tell you about too. I had some dreams. If they're anything like regular demigod dreams…"
Reyna nodded. "Understood."
"Thank the gods." Reyna leaned over Nico, her hand cool on his forehead.
His eyes flew open in a gasp, scanning his surroundings. Hedge was beside Reyna, scowling. Sadly, Nico had a great view right up the coach's nostrils.
Ane was across from Reyna, her hands on his body sending energy into him. "He's out of the danger zone at least."
"Good," said the coach. "Just a few more applications."
He held up a large square bandage coated with sticky brown gunk and plastered it over Nico's nose.
"What is…? Ugh."
The gunk smelled like potting soil, cedar chips, grape juice, and just a hint of fertilizer. Nico didn't have the strength to remove it.
His senses started to work again and he took in his situation. He was lying on a sleeping bag outside the tent. He was wearing nothing but his boxer shorts and a thousand gross, brown-plastered bandages all over his body. His arms, legs, and chest were itchy from the drying mud.
"Are…are you trying to plant me?" he murmured.
"It's a sports medicine with a little nature magic," the coach explained. "Kinda a hobby of mine."
Nico tried to focus on Reyna's face. "You approved of this?"
She looked like she was about to pass out from exhaustion, but she managed a smile. "Coach Hedge brought you back from the brink. The unicorn draught, ambrosia, nectar…we couldn't use any of it. You were fading so badly."
"Fading…?"
"Don't worry about that now, kid." Hedge put a drinking straw next to Nico's mouth. "Have some Gatorade."
"I…I don't want-"
"You'll have some Gatorade," Ane snapped.
Nico had some Gatorade. He was surprised at how thirsty he was.
"What happened?" he asked. "To Bryce…to those skeletons…?"
Reyna and the coach exchanged an uneasy look.
"There's good news and bad news," Reyna said. "But first, eat something. You'll need your strength back before you hear the bad news."
"Three days?" Nico exclaimed. Nico wasn't sure he'd heard her right the first dozen times.
"We couldn't move you," Reyna said. "I mean…literally, you couldn't be moved. You had almost no substance. Ane was passed out from defending us against one of those Reanimations, Pain left since she had no healing abilities, and if it wasn't for Coach Hedge…"
"No biggie," the coach assured him. "One time in the middle of a play-off game, I had to split a quarterback's leg with nothing but tree branches and strapping tape."
"Somehow that doesn't reassure me of your prowess," Ane muttered.
Despite his nonchalance, the satyr had bags under his eyes. His cheeks were sunken. He looked almost as bad as Nico felt.
Nico couldn't believe he'd been unconscious for so long. He recounted his weird dreams - the mutterings of Ella the harpy, the glimpse of Mellie the cloud nymph (which worried the coach) - but Nico felt as if those visions had only lasted seconds. According to Reyna, it was the afternoon of July 30th. He'd been in a shadow coma for days.
"Don't beat yourself up," Ane said. "I've been passed out since yesterday evening. I overtaxed my Curse's power, nearly got dragged back to Tartarus myself. Without Curse, I…I can't exist in this world. Or at least…I couldn't. Now…now I think I've got enough to live here on my own. For a little longer, at least."
"The Romans will attack Camp Half-Blood the day after tomorrow." Nico sipped more Gatorade, which was nice and cold, but without flavor. His taste buds seemed to have phased into the shadow world permanently. "We have to hurry. I have to get ready."
"No." Reyna pressed her hand against his forearm, making the bandages crinkle. "Any more shadow-travel would kill you."
He gritted his teeth. "If it kills me, it kills me. We have to get the statue to Camp Half-Blood."
"Hey, kid," said the coach, "I appreciate your dedication, but if you zap us all into eternal darkness along with the Athena Parthenos, it's not going to help anybody."
"Right," Ane agreed. "Even helping you myself, if we fall into the shadows again, we might not come out - especially with such a big statue and two guests. You and I are able to pull others through the shadow realm, but if we don't make it out, neither do our charges. You've done enough getting us this far, but Bryce Lawrence wasn't lying when he said that one more shadow trip will take you along with anyone you've escorted as well."
At the mention of Bryce, Reyna's metallic dogs pricked up their ears and snarled. Reyna stared at the cairn of rocks, her eyes full of torment, as if more unwelcome spirits might emerge from the grave.
Nico took a deep breath, getting a nose full of Hedge's fragrant home remedy. "Reyna, I…I didn't think. What I did to Bryce-"
"You destroyed him," Reyna said. "You turned him into a ghost and Ane condemned him to Tartarus. And, yes, it reminded me of what happened to my father."
"I didn't mean to scare you," Nico said bitterly. "I didn't mean to…to poison another friendship. I'm sorry."
Reyna studied his face. "Nico, I have to admit, the first day you were unconscious, I didn't know what to think or feel. What you did was hard to watch…hard to process."
Coach Hedge chewed on a stick. "I gotta agree with the girl on this one, kid. Smashing somebody's head in with a baseball bat, that's one thing. But ghostifying that creep? That was some dark stuff."
Ane sighed. "I'm sorry, Nico. Such a practice should not be available to normal mortals - regardless of your parentage. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories, either. I'm used to being a monster, but you are not. I didn't mean to make you into one, considering all you've been through."
Nico expected to feel angry - to shout at them for trying to judge him, think they knew him better than he knew himself. That's what he normally did.
But his anger wouldn't materialize. He still felt plenty of rage towards Bryce Lawrence, and Gaea, and the giants. He wanted to find the augur Octavian and strangle him with his chain belt. But he wasn't mad at Reyna or the coach - or even Ane.
"Why did you bring me back?" he asked. "You knew I couldn't help you anymore. You should've found another way to keep going with the statue. But you wasted three days watching over me. Why?"
Coach Hedge snorted. "You're part of the team, you idiot. We're not going to leave you behind. Besides, we were looking after Ane too."
"It's more than that." Reyna rested her hand on Nico's. "While you were asleep, I did a lot of thinking. What I told you about my father…I'd never shared that with anyone. I guess I knew you were the right person to confide in. You lifted some of my burden. I trust you, Nico."
Nico stared at her, mystified. "How can you trust me? You both felt my anger, saw my worst feelings…"
"Hey, kid," the coach said, his tone softer. "We all get angry. Even a sweetheart like me."
Reyna smirked. She squeezed Nico's hand. "Coach is right, Nico. You're not the only one who lets out the darkness once in a while. I told you what happened with my dad, and you supported me. You shared your painful experiences; how can we not support you? We're friends."
Nico wasn't sure what to say. They'd seen his deepest secrets. They knew who he was, what he was. But they didn't seem to care. No…they cared more. They weren't judging him. They were concerned. None of it made sense to him.
"But Bryce, I…" Nico couldn't continue.
"You did what had to be done. I see that now," Reyna said. "Just promise me, no more turning people into ghosts if we can avoid it."
"Yeah," Coach said. "Unless you let me whale on them first."
"Do." Ane's familiar tugged on her hand.
She smiled and picked it up, squeezing it close as she sat quietly watching the exchange.
"Don't think we've forgotten about you, Ane." Reyna held her hand out and urged her over.
Ane crawled closer and Reyna drew her into a light embrace under her free arm, the other hand still holding Nico's.
"Nico wasn't the only one to share his feelings," she went on.
"Me?" Ane's eyes widened. "That's not good. You can't have held my burdens. I've got thousands of deaths within me. I've used the shock of them to make people's hearts literally stop just from experiencing a few of them in succession - not even transferring the pain, just the memories of them!"
"It wasn't that," Reyna assured her.
"It was just fear," Nico muttered, as though he were just recalling it himself. "Fear of losing your humanity because of what you were, how long you were down there. I know what that place does to you. I know…"
Ane lowered her head, bangs falling across her face. "Sorry."
"Hey, it's nothing to apologize over!" Hedge exclaimed. "Look, we get it. You got some scary talent - both of you. But you're good kids. We aren't just abandoning you because of that. Besides, it's not all bad news."
Reyna nodded. "We've seen no sign of other Romans, so it appears Bryce didn't notify anyone else where he was."
"Probably wanted to take all the glory for himself," Ane muttered.
"There's also no sign of Orion. Do you remember Pain?"
"That girl that saved us?"
"Who?" Nico asked.
Reyna and Ane gave a quick rundown of Pain.
"She was an ally," Ane said. "Regardless, she saved us from my Papa's Reanimation."
"She also brought Ane back after Ane managed to chase him off," Hedge added.
"So how's she related to Orion?" Nico asked.
"She and her team intercepted the Hunters who were holding off Orion. According to her, there were no more deaths and they all managed to get away."
"And Hylla? Thalia?"
The lines tightened around Reyna's mouth. "We've got no direct contact from them, but Pain says they made it out. Whether or not we can really believe her…"
"We have to be the ones to believe they're still alive," Ane declared. "Have faith. They are strong, and they also know when to retreat from a fight they can't win."
"You didn't tell them the best news yet," the coach prompted.
Reyna frowned. "Maybe because it's so hard to believe. Coach Hedge thinks he's found another way to transport the statue. It's all he's talked about for the past three days. But so far we've seen no sign of-"
"Hey, it'll happen!" Coach grinned at Nico. "You remember that paper airplane I got right before Ceepmeister Lawrence showed up? It was a message from one of Mellie's contacts in the palace of Aeolus. This harpy, Nuggets - she and Mellie go way back. Anyway, she knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a horse who knows a goat who knows another horse-"
"Coach," Reyna chided, "you'll make them sorry they came out of their comas."
"Fine," the satyr huffed. "Long story short, I pulled in a lot of favors. I got word to the right wind-type spirits that we needed help. The letter I ate? Confirmation that the cavalry is coming. They said it would take a while to organize, but he should be here soon - any minute, in fact."
"Who's 'he?'" Nico asked. "What cavalry?"
Reyna stood abruptly. She stared towards the north, her face slack with awe. "That cavalry…"
Ane stood and followed her gaze. At first, it looked like a flock of birds was approaching - large birds.
"Are those…?"
As they got closer, it became clearer that they were actually horses with wings - at least half a dozen in V formation, without riders. Flying on point was a massive stallion with a golden coat and multicolored plumage like an eagle's, his wingspan twice as wide as the other horses'.
"Pegasi," Nico realized. "You summoned enough to carry the statue."
Coach Hedge laughed with delight. "Not just any pegasi, kid. You're in for a real treat."
"The stallion in the front…" Ane muttered.
Reyna shook her head in disbelief. "That's the Pegasus," she confirmed, "the immortal lord of horses."