Chapter 33: I Listen To Some Gods Awful Elevator Music
Well, my week has really transformed into quite the dumpster fire. But I guess that's what happens when you get attacked by genetically mutated monkeys, chased by degenerative numbskulls, pounced by deranged fur balls, and the works.
My legs were about as shaky as gelatin, and my arms demoted from chicken to chick all in the span of two minutes. Percy and Annabeth, I noticed, looked rough,like they were roadkill left out too long in the middle of the highway. In the corner of the elevator, Grover nervously chomped on a tin can, while Thalia, arms crossed over her chest, glared at the vent above us like it had personally wronged her. Bianca was quietly sniffling next to me, and I knew we were all thinking about Zoë.
I twisted my skull ring, but I found little comfort in its cool presence on my finger. So instead, I closed my eyes, trying to tune out the lingering echo of ringing in the back of my mind, though it was difficult.
Five minutes ago, Artemis ditched us simpletons for the high life back on Olympus without as much as a thank you. "Ride the elevator," she said. "Listen to the horrible playlist my idiot brother hand picked, it'll distract you." Or at least, that's the gist of her instructions.
Yes, the elevator music was distracting.
No, it was not distracting in a good way.
To put it simply, the sounds of baby goats dying and dreams being crushed blasted out of the speakers in various tunes, ranging from what I thought was Korean Pop to the crescendo you would hear in a movie right before someone gets murdered by a serial killer.
So, in other words: It was terrible, and it took all of my willpower not to punch the speaker right then and there, though I doubted I had the energy to do it.
"So," Annabeth said, "how should we break the news?"
"Like we always break the news," Percy answered matter-of-fact-ly. "We rush in the middle of the brink of an apocalypse and say it. Usually what we have to say is more important than what they are discussing."
I nodded. That's a very valid point.
Thalia snorted. "Agreed. Brutal force is always required."
"I mean, we are talking about the Olympians here," Grover chimed in, temporarily taking a break from attacking the poor tin can. "Isn't there a way to be a bit more… respectful? So, you know, we don't get smited."
I scoffed. "Respectful is knocking our tiny little fists against their humongous door and waiting to see if they say, 'enter.' We don't have that kind of time."
"Oh, good sirs and ladies," Thalia jeered in a perky British accent, "may we have a moment of your precious immortal time to spare you the details of your potential and very likely retirement?"
Percy gasped dramatically. "But you mustn't! I have a very pressing appointment I must attend to where I smell all of the burnt offerings my children have gifted me!"
"Alas," I sighed theatrically. "My conscience is much too busy monitoring any and all demigods, smiting them into dust bunnies when they disrespect me behind my back, as I lounge on my throne of gold."
Annabeth was rolling her eyes and muttering insults under her breath, while Grover was shaking his head. But I could see the small smile he was trying so desperately to hide.
"Yes," Thalia agreed. "I must attend to the mounds of prayers I received from my children ages ago. I sure hope they didn't die from my incompetence."
"Oh, look, a nymph!"
"Why, what a very small 20 foot statue of me!"
"Oh, another one of my hundreds of demigod children just arrived at camp? Who cares?"
"Oath, you say? I'm immortal, you fool! It is beneath me!"
"ENOUGH!" Annabeth shouted, putting her foot down, and I thought we knew better than to get on her bad side. I guess not. "I am not about to be smited in a freaking elevator while listening to crappy music because of you three. Knock it off or I will smite you myself."
All three of us gasped out apologies in between giggles, my ribs aching from the lack of oxygen, and it occurred to me that I haven't had a good laugh like this in a long time. Well, I guess life is just a little less miserable when you're laughing at it.
It was silent for the rest of the elevator ride, the laughs long since expelled out of me, and the hollow feeling settling in. This life, this obligation—it's killing me inside. All these people, all these demigods' lives depend on me and they don't even realize it. The truth is, I'm not sure what to say. I'm not sure how to tell this story how it really is. The enormity of what I have to do is weighing in on my soul and I don't know much more it can take. How am I supposed to break the news? How am I supposed to look the Gods in the eyes and tell them exactly how the world refused to fall?
How am I supposed to tell them their little toy soldiers couldn't win their war?
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I don't think I've ever felt this nervous in my entire life. Telling Annabeth, Bianca, and my friends in general was nerve wracking, but it's nothing like this. Those incidents seemed so small and insignificant compared to now.
The elevator doors opened with an odd screeching noise for such a grand entrance, and Bianca put an arm around my shoulder instinctively as we entered a new world.
Olympus, as per usual, was unequivocally gorgeous to the point where it was gaudy. Rows of perfectly trimmed trees lined the roads which were dotted with perfectly good-looking sculptures disguised as nymphs and naiads who all lived in a perfectly bubbled town of lavish and gold. In fact, everything looked so perfect it came across as disturbing and unnatural, like one of those horror movies where you step into a perfect world, only to discover everything is trying to murder you. Above it all, overlooking everything was the majestic palace of the Olympians. It's grand columns of clean cut marble looked more intimidating than pretty, and unlike my father's palace which was dark and elegant, Zeus' domain was nothing short of blinding and flaunting.
Next to me, Bianca was staring at everything in awe, a reminder she's still new to the not-so mythological world of Gods. Grover was smiling kindly like the good fellow he is at all of the nymphs and naiads whispering about us foreigners, while Thalia silenced them with a generous amount of dagger glares. Percy and Annabeth walked a little ahead of us like they were tour guides, which I guess was understandable—they have been to Olympus more than most demigods to stop the end of the world.
I pretended to squeal like an overly excited hyperactive 10 year old because that's what overly excited hyperactive 10 year olds like to do. Though internally, all I could think about was the Greek equivalent of Hell was still nicer than this place.
We reached the humongous gold doors, which were inlaid with carvings of brave heroes and shredded Gods and their amazing civilization. I stared at the carvings, wondering just how much of the horrors of our lives they decided to leave out.
The answer: All of them.
"You guys ready?" Percy asked, staring down the door.
Thalia exhaled sharply, her eyes trained on the sky, as if she were hoping some other God would save her. "No. Let's do it."
Annabeth nodded. "Open the door, Seaweed Brain."
Next to me, Bianca began to fidget with her braid, eying the door nervously. I held her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia shoved the heavy golden doors, and into the Kingdom of the Gods we went.
…
The throne room was a lot more intact than I remembered it. The last time I was on Olympus was on the day of the Second Titanomachy, when Kronos' army laid siege on Manhattan. The throne room looked like a mirror image of my father's in the Underworld, except inlaid in gold instead of silver, and carved in white marble instead of black. 12 uniquely grand thrones encircled the room, the biggest being in the very center, a humongous golden throne that seemed to glower in its own right. It no doubt belonged to Zeus.
Next to his throne, I saw what looked to be the only modest chair in the room: A collection of low slabs of grey sea stone inlaid with coral, sea shells, and sea stars. It's simplicity was interesting to look at without being too showy.
The man dressed in khaki shorts and sitting in the modest throne gazed down at us demigods curiously, the rapid conversation between him and the other Gods ceasing as soon as we walked in the room. His seastorm eyes had a proud look in them as they lingered on Percy, and for a moment I wondered what it would be like to be a son of Posiedon. If I wasn't deathly afraid of the ocean, I thought it would be pretty cool to breath underwater and talk to fish, but I wasn't about to admit that to anyone.
"Demigods?" Hera jeered, a look of disgust on her face as she stared down at us from her weird peacock feathered throne. "They have come unannounced! In the middle of a meeting of all times…"
A murmur of agreement broke out between the other Olympians as they shifted uneasily in their thrones, as if they too knew something sinister was stirring in the shadows. I noticed Artemis sat straighter in her throne when she saw us, and I was glad that at least one of the Gods seemed to appreciate our quest.
"Silence!" Zeus boomed. "Let us hear what they have to say." He smoothed the cuffs of his suit and adorned a smug expression as he regarded his daughter. "Thalia."
Her eyes crackled dangerously as she glared at her father. "Zeus."
I cringed at the awkward greeting. And I thought I had dad issues.
"Uncle Zeus, you have to listen to—"
Annabeth interrupted Percy with a hard nudge to the side. She gave him a look.
He sighed a little too loudly. With a clenched jaw, he bowed respectfully, and all of us reluctantly followed. Zeus looked so freaking proud of himself when we did so, though the only thought racing through my head was that he didn't deserve our respect. It made my blood boil when we had to give it to him anyway.
"Right, so… Kronos is rising, and plotting an invasion on Camp Half Blood as we speak with an army of monsters and rogue demigods," the Son of Posiedon explained bluntly. "Your suspicions of the Titan King's resurrection were correct."
The humongous throne room erupted in confusion, and Zeus looked like he was about to say something, but Annabeth surprisingly cut him off, much to my amusement.
"Percy's right," the Daughter of Athena said. "The Lord of Time has been working together with his general, the Titan upholding the sky at Mt. Othrys."
"And Luke Castellan, Son of Hermes—well, he was." By the look on Thalia's face, she was less than thrilled to confirm his death, and the pained look on Hermes' face wasn't so thrilling either. But something inside me told me the confirmation may be too soon.
"Artemis was captured, my Lord," Grover added respectfully, "and we rescued her from Mt. Othrys by going on a quest."
Zeus frowned at the Satyr and turned to Artemis questioningly. "Is this true?"
The Goddess of the Moon nodded. "Indeed, Father. I sensed a great stirring—one that I have not felt since the days of the Titanomachy. Alone, I hunted the only creature powerful enough to end Olympus. But I was captured before I could find what I was searching for, and forced to bear the punishment of that lily-liver oaf, Atlas."
The God of Thunder's frown only deepened as he submersed himself in a rapid conversation with the other Olympians in Ancient Greek. I could only catch a few words: Father, Ophiotaurus, and war.
We all exchanged a few looks, and it was like we were engaged in a silent conversation, but not quite. Though I think they were thinking the same thing I was: Is Zeus finally considering starting war preparations?
"Lord Zeus," Percy broke in, his patience wearing thin, "you need to begin war preparations or Olympus won't survive!"
Zeus huffed like a stuck-up child. "I will not be told what I can and cannot do by an insufferable demigod!"
"Brother…" Posiedon warned, his grip on his trident tightening.
"Dad, for once in your immortal life," Thalia hissed, "actually try listening to what people tell you."
"Mother, please!" Annabeth turned to the grey eyed woman with a stern face, the only sensible Olympian in the room. "You've seen the signs, you've seen the proof—the wisest course of action now is to begin preparing for war!"
Thalia nodded, her arms crossed. "I've seen their army with my own eyes. Monsters, rogue demigods, mortal weapons—the works. If we don't act now, we will be obliterated."
"And the sarcophagus!" Grover exclaimed. "Don't forget about the sarcophagus!"
"That was Kronos inside there, wasn't it?" Bianca said miserably, and I knew she was still thinking about Zoë. "I could sense something horribly wrong whenever I was near it."
"We don't speak his name within these walls, Hunter," Dionysus chided, not even looking up from the magazine he was reading. "Then again, you would make a wonderful bottle of Chardonnay."
Artemis glared at the pudgy man lounging in his grape vine throne. "Are you threatening one of my hunters, Dionysus? Because if you are, you would make a lovely jackalope, or perhaps a tiny little beetle I could squash under my feet."
Dionysus turned a page of his magazine, not even fazed, and I wondered just how many times he's been threatened by the Moon Goddess. "I'm merely stating the obvious—she really would make a nice Chardonnay," he drawled. "And besides, you should take it as a complement, it's one of the better classes of wine."
Artemis merely scoffed, rolled her eyes, and muttered, "Men."
"Well, the demigods are telling the truth," Apollo confirmed as he adjusted his shades, "and the future definitely isn't looking too good either. We should probably listen to Barnacle Beard's son—they did save my baby sister."
I could only stare at the Sun God, stunned, because I wasn't convinced he could help us anymore than he already has. But it would seem the Sun God was full of surprises.
"Twin sister," Artemis corrected, though not with her usual venom. "But yes, Apollo is right. A storm is stirring—another war is approaching."
Zeus allowed himself an ounce of hesitation. "Athena, what do you advise the best course of action to be?"
The Goddess of Wisdom's calculating eyes roamed over us for a moment before finally stopping short on Annabeth. Athena smiled proudly and said, "I believe my daughter was correct when she advised we begin war preparations." I didn't miss the fact she blatantly left Percy and the rest of us out, even though we had a say in it too. "If what they say is true—"
"Apollo just said so," Percy muttered sassily under his breath.
Athena glared pointedly at him before continuing. "—then gathering our army and our resources must be done immediately if we are to ever gain the upper hand against the enemies. We can start by summoning the Ophiotaurus and ridding of its entrails before the creature's demise becomes ours."
Zeus nodded thoughtfully and gestured to Posiedon. "Brother."
With a wave of the Sea God's hand, a pool of water materialized in the center of the throne room, and in it, a creature that looked like the cross between a cow and a mermaid swam happily around. I had to admit, for being prophesied as a creature of mass destruction and the catalyst of the end of the world, the Ophiotaurus was absolutely adorable. It made me wonder if the most innocent of creatures really were the ones that caused the most damage.
The God of Thunder spared one look at it. "Kill it."
"Wait!" Percy ran in front of the Ophiotaurus, shielding it while it swam obliviously. "I won't let you hurt Bessie!"
The room fell into a stunned silence. That was unexpected. Or, it should have been, but I knew Percy long enough that it wasn't such the case. After all, with that lopsided grin of his, it's hard not to underestimate him.
That's the mistake most of Percy Jackson's enemies make.
"Percy," Posiedon finally said, "did you… did you name the Ophiotaurus Bessie?"
"Yeah, I did." He glanced fondly at the Mermaid Cow before taking a deep breath. "Bessie is completely harmless. She isn't hurting anyone and she likes swimming around. Don't kill her. There has to be another way."
Posiedon blinked. "But son, this is the Ophiotaurus. If we don't kill it, someone worse will."
"Why does there have to be any killing at all? Why can't she just co-exist peacefully with you?" The green-eyed demigod reasoned. He crossed his arms stubbornly, and I thought it was one of his braver feats. "Look, all Bessie wants to do is live her life and swim around in peace. Have any of you considered she can just swim around in a little bubble of water up on Olympus, within your line of sight?"
The suggestion sounded reasonable enough, but the Gods aren't known to be reasonable beings. Everyone observed the scene in interest as Percy and his father argued, and I think this is the first scenario of a god being a parent they've seen in a long time.
"Percy," Posiedon said, grinding his teeth, "this is the Ophiotaurus—"
"I know what Bessie is," the Savior of Olympus interrupted calmly, and Posiedon looked about ready to explode like a bomb shell on his son. "What I'm asking is how good has your security gotten since Zeus' master bolt was stolen?"
"Well, that's… that's actually a very good question." The Sea God turned to the idiot on his left. "Brother, what do you have to say about this?"
Zeus looked flabbergasted by the question, but managed to regain his composure. "Why, Olympus has been equipped with the most top notch security of the century!" He boasted. "There is nothing powerful enough to invade this fortress!"
"And by century you mean last century," Hermes grumbled like a child not getting his way. He huffed. "If you would just order the new security system—"
"Hermes, for the last time we are not ordering that incompetent excuse for an alarm!"
"Husband, please!" Hera cut in, placing a delicate hand on Zeus' arm. "It will prevent situations that may occur in the near future!"
I almost scoffed. And by situations she means lockdowns.
"Just admit you don't understand how to install it and read the owner's manual!" Hermes shouted.
"I will not bow down to such defeat!"
"You already have!"
"Right," Percy interrupted again. "So, what I'm hearing is you need to update security around here. I'm sure Hephaestus wouldn't mind helping…" He turned to the God of Forge, and the burly man shrugged indifferently. "Also, we should take into account that certain individuals—" His eyes flickered to the God of War cleaning his rifle in the background, "not that I'll say any names—have out-vaded Olympus, so security should work both ways."
Annabeth frowned in confusion and muttered, "Seaweed Brain, 'out-vaded' isn't a word."
"Well, it should be," he muttered back, "because it's a thing."
She casted him a weird look. "I think the word you're looking for is 'escaped.'"
"ARE YOU TELLING ME HOW TO DO MY JOB, YOU INSOLENT SEA SPAWN?!" The King of the Gods boomed, his bolt raised at the ready. Next to him, Posiedon nearly jumped out of his throne in a storm of rage while all of us tensed, holding our breaths.
"Yeah. This is the part where you take notes."
I groaned and smacked my forehead. "For the Gods' sakes."
For the moment, Zeus seemed too shocked to respond, and it suddenly occurred to me that Percy doomed us all because he couldn't keep his big mouth shut. Is it so ironic that the Savior of Olympus may have just indirectly extinguished all of humanity? I took a good look at Zeus' bulging face. His nose hairs flared ridiculously and his beard quivered like it had a mind of its own.
With a King of Olympus like ours who can't even fight his own wars? No, maybe not so ironic.
"Thalia Grace!" Artemis exclaimed so suddenly, her voice cut through the horrific tension like a knife. "Please step forward!"
It took about a second for me to register the Goddess of the Hunt just saved us from Zeus' wrath.
Thalia hurriedly made her way to the front of our little possy, and I didn't miss the way she shoved Percy behind her. "Lady Artemis?"
The Goddess side glanced at her still shocked father for a millisecond before continuing. "I have witnessed your skill and your worth in the heat of battle. I have seen your courage at its best, for not only have you braved your enemies, but you have also braved old friends. You have the spirit of a true huntress, Thalia, and I know it is not your intention to be the child of the Great Prophecy. I am offering an alternative. Do you, Thalia Grace, Daughter of Zeus, accept my offer to become not only a Hunter, but also my lieutenant?"
Thalia hesitated, looking like a deer in the headlights, but for the first time ever, I saw a glint of hope in her crackling blue eyes. She glanced apologetically at our cousin. "Percy, I—"
"It's okay, I get it." He smiled reassuringly, but an unorthodox emotion churned in his sea green eyes: Fear. "You want to live your life free of the prophecy. I totally understand. Do what you got to do."
Then she glanced at me, and I could see the apology on her face. I nodded in agreement with Percy. "Our lives are too short to spare second thoughts, Pinecone Face. Believe me, I know. If you see an opportunity like this, take it. You might not get another chance."
"Do you really mean that?" She asked, and I realized she wanted her freedom more than she wanted her glory. Before all of this, Thalia avoided the Hunters of Artemis like a plague. Now, I wondered what changed her mind. Was it because of the prophecy? Zoë? The quest in general?
Percy, Bianca, and I shared a look, an unspoken agreement passing between us. "Yeah," Bianca answered with a brave smile, "we do."
I noticed Athena's eyes flickered between me and the other raven haired demigods in the room, and I knew she was starting to unearth the 70 year old secret that should have stayed buried. By the looks of it, some of the smarter Olympians were too.
"Annabeth?" The Daughter of Zeus asked, and I had a feeling there was a silent conversation being discussed between the two demigods.
The Daughter of Athena smiled reassuringly. "I'll be all right, Thalia. Go. Live your life how you want to. Not how everyone expects you to."
Thalia was about to say something, but her father interrupted her. "Thalia? Why would you choose the Hunters over glory?" Zeus sputtered, bewildered that his daughter was choosing her own life over his glory. "You can earn your place among the greatest of heroes. You can earn immortality—"
"All of which she has already earned," Artemis cut in impatiently. "Thalia Grace, do you accept?"
"I haven't known peace since… since Half Blood Hill," she admitted, and I suddenly noticed just how tired her electric blue eyes looked. "But now I finally feel like I have a home. For the first time since I can remember, I finally feel at peace." Her gaze fell on the Son of Posiedon. "I believe in you, Percy. You have the best moral compass I've ever seen, which is why I know you won't fail Olympus. You'll save it. You're a hero. You will be the child of the prophecy."
Despite the praise, Percy never looked paler.
"So you accept?" The Goddess asked.
"In honor of an old friend, I accept," Thalia answered, and she gazed upward towards the grand ceiling, but I knew she was trying to see the sky. "One more thing. Call me Thalia. Just Thalia."
"That can be arranged." She turned her attention to the Daughter of Athena next to us. "Annabeth Chase, my offer still stands to you as well. We can always use more strong and capable girls such as yourself."
Next to me, Percy tensed, and I knew he was feeling helpless because there was nothing here to fight except words.
With her storm eyes trained on the Son of Posiedon the entire time, Annabeth spoke her verdict. "Lady Artemis, with all due respect, I have to decline on your offer. To me, there are more important things in life than immortality."
I smiled, knowing exactly what she was implying. Artemis and the others—except Percy—seemed to know what she was implying too.
"So… you're not joining the Hunters?" Percy asked weakly, and I realized, even now, the thought of her leaving him was really eating him up inside.
Annabeth smirked and nudged his arm playfully. "I'm sticking with you, Seaweed Brain, whether you like it or not. Anymore stupid questions?"
"Annabeth—"
"My decision is final," she interrupted her mother coldly.
"Then it is decided," Artemis announced. "Please step for—"
"Actually, I have something I'd like to say." All eyes turned to Bianca as she fidgeted with her braid and looked away. A mysterious shadow crossed her face as if she were guilty of something. With clenched fists and wide eyes, she looked up and said, "I… I don't want to be a Hunter anymore."
My heart skipped a beat.
"B—Bianca?"
She smiled. Instinctively, she wrapped my loose scarf around me and ruffled my hair. I stared at her, eyes wide, words choked in the back of my throat, my breath quickening because everything's changing now, and I don't know if I can keep up.
I should be happy. I should be glad. I should be ecstatic. My sister is choosing me over them, a possibility I never in all of my years thought would occur.
So why am I not?
I had a plan. I had a goal. The framework. I was going to follow the framework, make subtle changes, push anyone I needed to in the right direction, and watch in the shroud of the shadows as the new timeline unfolds. But Bianca's choice is something I never really anticipated, never really considered. How exactly is her presence going to change the timeline? Will her ability as a child of the Big Three save it, or only complicate things? Is this really a risk that can be taken?
"Why?" It was all I could ask without betraying my doubts.
She smiled that thin smile of her's and said, "You need me more than they do. And I… I need you more than I need them."
Her words were like a key that unlocked this secret I never knew I had inside me. Bianca needs me, I thought. After everything we went through, Bianca needs me. But more importantly, she can see that I need her.
Suddenly all of my doubts about the future vanished into nothing. Suddenly all that mattered was the girl with the floppy green hat standing beside me. Suddenly I didn't care that the future might have just been saved or screwed over by a single choice because now, Bianca is going to be there with me through it all.
"Bianca, are you sure you want to do this? I support you either way," I said, "but I want to make sure this choice is something you want out of happiness and not necessity."
I want to make sure this choice isn't about me, but her.
Wordlessly, Bianca reached for a familiar figurine in her pocket, and she stared at it sadly, a few tears brimming her dark eyes. "What's the use of living forever if you aren't living at all?"
I thought back to the time I was younger and witnessed Bianca's death via dream. The feeling of dread and loneliness only masked for so long underneath all of that denial because some part of me knew my older sister was dead. Now, the tables have turned, and I realized my sister didn't want to lose me like I lost her. Or maybe she realized just how precious life is, and just how quick you can lose it. I wasn't completely certain why she made the decision to leave the Hunters, but I knew she wanted it for herself. To me, that's all that matters. Still, fear bubbled inside of me. Would I ever be able to give her the life she deserves? Will she live long to enjoy it?
But then I realized for all of life's unpredictability, that's what makes it enjoyable. By experiencing all the terrible moments, they make you cherish the happier ones. Then the thought made me question if Bianca ever had any happy moments with the Hunters to begin with.
The image of Zoë's gleaming constellation among the stars flashed behind my eyes, and my heart weighed in with guilt. Instinctively, I gazed up to the ceiling in wonder, hoping to catch sight of her once more. But the sinking realization that a person with a soul as stunning as hers would never grace these treacherous walls made me look back down.
"I am sorry to see you leave, Bianca di Angelo," Artemis said, and I was surprised to find she didn't sound so offended. "Know that you will always have a place here."
My sister nodded numbly and placed a hand on my shoulder. It was a subtle motion, but to me it spoke volumes.
"Now then," the Moon Goddess continued, "Thalia, Daughter of Zeus, and Bianca di Angelo, Daughter of Thanatos, step forward." By the way she announced Bianca's supposed parentage, I could tell she wasn't buying it.
My cousin and sister shared a quick glance before walking to the front of Artemis' throne of perfectly polished silver, not an ounce of hesitation in their steps. Zeus, however, didn't look so happy with the new ordeal.
Wordlessly, Artemis left her grand throne and shrunk to a more modest height. She walked up to Bianca. "Are you certain you wish to leave the Hunt?"
"More certain than I've ever been in my entire life."
Instead of answering, Artemis whispered what I assumed to be some sort of blessing under her breath, and suddenly my sister's silver aura flickered before finally dying out. Bianca exhaled sharply like all of her strength was leaving her, which could very well be the case. "I wish you the best of luck, Bianca," she said before turning to Thalia. "Repeat after me…"
A/N:
Hey, Peeps. So uh... I discovered an amazing thing called Attack on Titan and then I binged watch the first two seasons. I would've bought the third season if it wasn't so dang expensive. Like, seriously 50 is ridiculous. Normally I hate anime but oh my god I didn't know what I was missing.
The next chapter will come soon, and things will be ~revealed~. Honestly, I'm kind of having trouble writing the next chapter since I'm so stuck on this one part. I don't want to make it cringy and I want it to stay true to the character all while being BA which is kind of hard for me to do right now since my mind is so stuck on AoT, but I'll figure something out. I suspect there will be two more chapters then an epilogue. Also, do you guys know if epilogues and prologues are in sequels, or just like in the first and last book of a series and that's it? I feel like it's probably an optional thing but I just don't know.
Anyway stay safe, guys!
