Last chapter.

Enjoy.

The rest of the night was spent partying, relaxing, and easing their minds with the Party Ponies. Before long, they all broke off into their own rooms within the Stoic, which was, funnily enough, the name of Marcus Auraeus' hotel.

Astraeus entered his room with Zoë. The huntress was already sitting on the bed. Her eyes were half-lidded with desire. She grinned.

"Astraeus, I hope that thee—" She cut herself off once he stepped into the light. "Are you alright?"

"I…" He trailed off. "I don't know."

"Explain it to me," Zoë urged. She patted an empty space beside her on the bed. "Or do not. I am here for thee regardless."

Astraeus sat down beside her. "Thalia talked to me. She had a lot to say."

"About?"

"How much I've been affecting the others on the quest. Her. Percy. Annabeth. Even Phoebe. She said it felt like they were suffocating. Like they couldn't do anything. Like they were useless. All because of me."

"It is because you are a great warrior, Astraeus. Your skills in combat—"

"Thalia also said that you wouldn't understand because you're in love with me," Astraeus said. "And she was right."

Zoë's eyes narrowed. "Thou art going to simply believe her?"

"She's right, Zoë," he repeated. "I'm not saying that I don't love you. I'm not saying that what we have has been amazing. But Thalia is right. Love can be just as blinding as it is beautiful."

"Was Lady Artemis right, tben? Was she right to believe that love is a weakness? That huntresses should not love because it will turn them soft?"

"That's not what I'm saying and you know that. I'm just saying that Thalia—"

"I care not what Thalia thinks! Tell me that you still love me."

"I love you."

"Does thou mean it?"

"I do."

"Again."

"I love you, Zoë."

"Again."

"I love you, Zoë Nightshade." Astraeus leaned forward and kissed her. "Nothing is going to change that."

"Good."

"Now, will you let me finish what I was saying?"

Zoë nodded.

"I want to take a step back. Let the others solve some problems on their own. The last thing that I want is to make everyone feel useless again. I thought I was doing that. I was wrong," Astraeus said. "Tomorrow, I'm going to change that."

"Very well," Zoë said. "I will do my utmost to remind you to do so."

Astraeus smiled. "Thank you, my love."

Zoë grinned. She kissed him. "Now," she whispered, lips still pressed against his. "Is it too soon to ask thee to make me moan thy name?"

Astraeus smirked. "No."

Zoë put a hand on his chest and pushed him backwards onto the bed. She straddled his hips, grinding against him. And the two of them hardly slept that night.

[;]

"You two…" Phoebe stared at Astraeus as he stepped out of his and Zoë's room. She looked haggard, like she didn't catch a wink of sleep last night. "Learn to take a gods-damned break."

"Oh." Astraeus flushed. "You heard us?"

"I think everyone heard you," she muttered. "Or heard Zoë for that matter."

"Phoebe, I…" He trailed off, unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry."

Phoebe glared at him even harsher. Despite the glare, there was a tinge of pink to her cheeks. "It's fine."

It was at that time that Zoë popped open the door. She was half-naked, on her tippy-toes as she draped her arms around Astraeus' broad shoulders. Her bare chest pressed against his back. "Come back. I still want my morning fac— Phoebe?!" Her voice entered the stratosphere as she screamed out her name.

Phoebe was looking everywhere but Zoë. "Yes. That is me."

"I— I apologize for this," Zoë immediately began. "This is incredibly heinous of me, and I sincerely—"

"Zoë," Phoebe interrupted. "Just… stop talking."

A door down the hall opened, and Sammy stepped out of it. He took one glance at the three of them, then stared at Phoebe for a few moments. Then, he broke it into laughter and trotted away.

"You smell like you tried to join in on the fun, Huntress!" He called out with a final look at Phoebe. "Maybe ask to join tonight so you don't feel left out."

"No! That is—" Phoebe's hands flew to her mouth to physically silence herself as both Astraeus and Zoë slowly turned to look at her. "He is making a ridiculous insinuation, and one that I— I would never, ever do."

Zoë stared at Phoebe. "Did you masturbate to—"

"NO!" Phoebe opened her door, sprinted into her room, and slammed it shut behind her. A few moments passed and there was a loud groan of embarrassment that echoed from beneath the door.

Astraeus glanced back to Zoë. "She did, didn't she."

Zoë nodded. "She did."

The two of them began laughing.

[;]

Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Phoebe set out to find Nereus after breakfast, while Zoë and Astraeus chose to go and scout out Mount Tamalpais. Six people— one of which being an ex-god— was far too many to find an old man of the sea.

"We'll be safe," Astraeus reassured. "And if any of the General's forces see us, we'll take care of them."

"Good." Thalia nodded. "I'm still not a hundred-percent on board with splitting up, but I trust you two."

Phoebe looked at both Astraeus and Zoë, a firm look in her eyes. "Don't die."

"We won't."

"I shan't allow it."

"Remember," interjected Annabeth. "Meet back here in two hours. If we're not all here by then… Assume the worst and try to find the others."

With that, the group went their separate ways. Astraeus adjusted the pack on his shoulder. On the others' demands, he took the last of the ambrosia and nectar. He couldn't partake in it himself, of course, but they didn't know that. He was as mortal as they came, and mortals couldn't partake in the food of the gods. No matter how much he wanted to.

Despite the grimness of the situation, neither Astraeus or Zoë could deny that it felt like their first date. It would have been enjoyable, exploring San Francisco, if it weren't for the fate that loomed over both their heads.

It didn't take long to reach Mount Tamalpais.

Astraeus wished it would have taken them longer.

The mountain's peak loomed over them, and Astraeus could see a second mountain beginning to take shape behind it. It was structured yet jagged, built of black stone and dark steel. A fortress of stone, rather than a mountain. It was a sight to behold. Even from this distance, with Astraeus' dulled senses, he could smell the evil it radiated; the vile stench of blackpowder and rotten flesh was nearly overpowering.

Zoë looked like she was on the verge of throwing up.

Mount Othrys. The ancient fortress of the Titans during their war with the gods.

A dark reflection of Mount Olympus.

Precisely.

"It reeks," Zoë murmured. Sniffling slightly, she pressed closer to Astraeus.

"Monsters?"

Zoë nodded. "Many of them. The mountain acts as a beacon for monsters due to its growing strength. We will likely encounter great resistance as we scale it."

"Noted." Astraeus walked forwards, closer to the mountain. "Let's get a closer look. If we're fighting an army, I'd rather be prepared than caught off guard."

"Agreed." Zoë followed behind him.

They headed further up the mountain, the scent grew strong with each step. Almost to the point of suffocation. Long minutes passed as they hiked, but then suddenly Zoë called out, "Wait."

"What's wrong?"

Her brows furrowed. She sniffed the air twice. "It… smells like home."

"Home?"

Her brown eyes widened in realization. "My sisters. The Hesperides. They are here. As is Ladon. And Atlas."

"Your father," Astraeus said.

"I feared my sisters would side with him and the Titans," Zoë murmured. She pursed her lips. "This is not good."

"We will take it in stride." Astraeus put a hand on her shoulder. "I am with you, my love."

Zoë interlaced her fingers with Astraeus. "Thank you."

"Is the source of that smell coming from Ladon?" Astraeus asked her. "Your senses are more fine-tuned than mine."

"Not only them," Zoë said. She pointed to the far side of the mountain, just a hair outside of their vision. "It is sourced from there. That is where Kronos' army resides."

Astraeus grimaced. They didn't have the forces capable of fighting an army.

"Then let's head back to the others. They should have found Nereus by now."

"Very well."

[;]

It didn't take long for all of them to regroup. They were all seated around a table in a park near the base of Mount Tamalpais.

"Ladon?" Phoebe breathed. "This will be a problem."

"Not so much of a problem as the Ophiotaurus," Astraeus said, remembering his conversation with Athena. "We need someone to deliver it to a safe place."

No one wanted to volunteer. They all knew the stakes of freeing Lady Artemis, of fighting Ladon— they all wanted to help.

"One of us has to do it," Percy said. "I…" He trailed off.

Annabeth raises her hand. "I'll do it."

Percy glances at her, worried. "Annabeth—"

"Relax, Seaweed Brain," she interrupted. "It's better this way. If Luke is there… I don't know if I'll be able to fight properly."

"Are you sure?" Thalia asked.

"I'm certain of it," she confirmed. "This is for the best. Percy needs to be there, and he's the better fighter out of the two of us. And Thalia, you—"

Thalia put a hand up. "I know. It's dangerous for me to be near him. I can feel its power. And…" Thalia looked, for a moment, disappointed. In herself.

"Thank you, Annabeth," Astraeus said with a nod to the girl.

"You're welcome."

"That settles that," Phoebe said. "Which leaves the rest of us to travel to Mount Tamalpais to find Lady Artemis. What was it like?"

Zoë spoke up. "Aside from Ladon and the Hesperides, I expect to find Atlas there."

"Atlas?" Thalia asked. "Did you see him?"

Astraeus shook his head. "Sammy told us the other night. That line from the prophecy— The titan's curse must one withstand— refers to Atlas' curse."

"The sky," Annabeth said.

"Yes."

"So one of us has to hold it up," concluded Thalia.

"Any volunteers?" Astraeus asked, half-joking.

That got the group to chuckle.

"I could do it."

Everyone turned to Percy.

"I mean, one of us has to, right?" He asked. His ears were beginning to turn red. "Thalia and Astraeus can fight head-on with Atlas while Zoë and Phoebe pepper him with arrows. And if Lady Artemis is trapped under it, that would mean she would be in the fight too if I held the sky for her."

"The sky will crush you under its weight."

"Only if I die."

"That…" Phoebe face-palmed.

"I will hold the sky," Astraeus tried.

"No."

"Not happening."

"Definitely not."

"Nope."

"Denied."

Astraeus sighed.

"It is decided," Zoë said. "Once we reach Lady Artemis, Perseus will take the sky from her and we will battle Atlas together."

"That still leaves Ladon," added Annabeth.

"I will distract him," Zoë said. "He will recognize me, and once he does, all of you will run past him to reach the top of the mountain."

Everyone nodded along. Though Astraeus was hesitant to immediately agree to the plan, he trusted Zoë. He trusted that she would be careful.

Annabeth departed quickly with Percy's help. He'd sacrificed the Nemean Lion's pelt to his father, asking to protect the daughter of Athena as she traversed the ocean with the Ophiotaurus.

Astraeus took Dikastis and thrust it into the fire that Percy started.

"Lord Poseidon of the Seas, I ask of you to shield Annabeth Chase from the dangers of the water. Guide her. Show her the path. Show her the safest paths. Grant her the clearest tides."

Astraeus— and everyone else— received his answer in the form of a swift, salty sea breeze. A confirmation. One tinged with surprise at his presence, it seemed.

"My dad knows you?"

Astraeus nodded. "He and I spoke fairly often during my time as the Justicar."

"Is there anyone you weren't friends with?" Percy asked.

"Zeus," Astraeus said frankly.

Thalia frowned. "I see."

Once Annabeth was out of sight, they all made their way to Mount Tamalpais.

They all had their parts to play. All that was left now was to face their prophecy head on. Together. As a group. A team.

[;]

The approach to the Garden of the Hesperides was beautiful, and once they entered the garden itself, Percy and Thalia both audibly gasped. The grass that covered the earth glinted with a silvery evening light. The brilliantly colored flowers seemed to almost glow in the shadow of the mountain. Black marble stairs encircled a five-story-tall apple tree, every bough glittered with the gleaming golden apples of immortality.

Zoë pointed. "There."

They all spotted Ladon at the same time, too entranced by the beauty of the garden. The enormous, hundred-headed dragon was wrapped around the base of the tree of the Hesperides. His bright scales shimmered like copper.

Standing around the tree and Ladon were the Hesperides. Zoë's sisters. Her family.

"Go. I will distract them," Zoë said.

Everyone else began to separate, but before Astraeus fully did, he grabbed Zoë's hand.

"Be careful, my love."

"I shall. Do not fear."

Astraeus kissed her.

The two broke away, and made their way far from the tree, taking cover between bushes as Zoë continued her distraction.

"Welcome home, sister," a Hesperide said.

"Have you come to join us once again?" another one asked.

"Possibly," Zoë lied. "I am here to see Ladon."

The dragon stirred at the mention of his name. Nearly all of his heads turned to face her. Even from this distance, Astraeus could smell him. His poisonous breath that promised death.

Zoë approached, hand extended, a smile on her face. "Ladon…"

Percy, Thalia, Phoebe, and Astraeus pressed onwards. They were nearly at the edge of the garden, nearly free from its entrapping beauty.

Phoebe reached it first, then Percy, then Astraeus.

Thalia was—

Thalia stared up at the apples. Her electric blue eyes ignited with lightning. Drool dribbled out from the corner of her mouth. She licked her lips. She was paralyzed by the beauty, the inescapable draw of immortality that resided within the apples.

One of Ladon's heads— one that wasn't looking at Zoë spotted her. It let out a bestial roar. Half of the heads flicked around to Thalia.

"Thalia!" Percy shouted. He reached out and grabbed the daughter of Zeus, dragging her out of her stupor.

But the damage had been done.

Ladon lashed out at both Zoë and Thalia, his head snapping into action like a serpent. His fangs dug deep into Zoë's forearm. Percy managed to just barely pull Thalia out of the way.

The lieutenant let out a howl of pain that awakened every nerve in Astraeus' body. His starlight eyes ignited and he surged back to Zoë. He unsheathed Dikastis, the blade singing in tune with his blood.

Cleanly, Astraeus sliced off the head that bit Zoë, freeing her from its toothy grip. He picked the lieutenant up into a fireman's carry with his left hand. His right hand, wielding Dikastis, parried another strike from Ladon.

He retreated. He stepped back with each deflect strike, creating more and more distance between him and the dragon.

The other Hesperides didn't move an inch. They simply watched him. Their lips were drawn into cruel smiles, staring at their sister slowly die from Ladon's poison.

The further Astraeus got, the less aggressively Ladon attacked him until eventually the dragon stopped. Astraeus regrouped with the others, laying Zoë down and sheathing Dikastis. He reached into his pack and pulled out the ambrosia and nectar. He fed it to her.

"Press on," he said to Thalia, Phoebe, and Percy. "We will join you soon."

The trio nodded. They headed further up the mountain.

Astraeus took the leftover ambrosia and crushed it. He poured the nectar into his hand, mushing both together and turning it into a paste. He lathered the paste onto Zoë's wound. Then, he took some gauze and wrapped it around her forearm. It was a crude job, but it would do for now.

"Can you stand?" He asked Zoë.

She struggled to her feet, but stood up nonetheless. "I can fight, as well."

Astraeus held her gaze.

"I promise, my love." She kissed him.

"Very well." Astraeus glanced back at Ladon, then further up the mountain.

His eyes burned and his heart hammered against his chest. Fury boiled at the bottom of his stomach. Rage raced through his fingertips. He would kill Atlas before Zoë died.

[;]

By the time Astraeus and Zoë reached the top of the mountain, they could hear the sounds of battle. The clangs of weapons, grunts of exertion— they both turned to each other, nodded, and sprinted up the rest of the way.

Thalia was caught in a fight with a blonde, scarred, sword-wielding demigod. Phoebe and Artemis were in a deadlock against Atlas. Perseus was trapped underneath the sky, his forehead pooled with sweat and exertion, and his eyes were half-shut with exhaustion.

"Help Lady Artemis," Astraeus said to Zoë. "I will kill this traitorous demigod."

Zoë nodded. She freed her bow, nocked two arrows, and began to fire at Atlas.

Astraeus unsheathed Dikastis and rushed to Thalia.

The blonde demigod glanced at him. "Who in Hades' name are—"

"Silence." Astraeus tested a thrust at the demigod. "Save your breath for your last words."

The demigod parried his strike.

He had a solid combat foundation. But there was an unfamiliarity to his sword-skills. Like he wasn't fully aware of how long the blade was.

Astraeus looked to Thalia. "Together, Thalia."

The daughter of Zeus' eyes narrowed. Her lips curled into a grin. "Together."

The two of them battered down the demigod. He was on even footing against Thalia. But against both her and Astraeus… He would not be long for this world. They pushed him against the edge of a chasm, forcing him to retreat with every parried, blocked, or defended attack and strike.

The demigod breathed heavily. "You two—"

"I already told you." Astraeus twirled Dikastis. "To save your breath for your last words."

Astraeus lashed out with Dikastis, faster than he had ever done since the brief battle began. The demigod was caught off-guard.

Artemis' cry halted him. "Zoë, no—!"

Pain lanced through Astraeus' chest.

The cunning demigod had taken advantage of the distraction to run him through with his sword.

"RAAAGH!" Thalia cried out. She took iron-grip with her spear, sparks dancing between her fingers, and thrust it forwards, piercing into the blonde demigod. Blue lightning arced through her hands, through the tip of her spear. The lightning blasted into the blonde demigod. It sent him flying backwards into the chasm, his weapon still lodged in Astraeus.

"Astraeus—" Thalia said.

He grabbed the hilt of the sword. With a great wail, he pulled the blade out of his chest. He turned back to the hunters and Artemis who were battling Atlas.

The titan was trapped beneath the sky once more.

"NOOOO!" Atlas bellowed. The mountain shook with his voice. "NOT AGAIN!"

Percy was freed. A strand of his hair had turned gray.

Zoë was slumped against black rocks.

Beneath them, the army stirred into action.

"We have no time," Artemis looked between everyone. "We must leave. Now. Astraeus— take Zoë."

The moonlight that shrouded the top of the mountain brightened. A silver chariot rode down from the sky being drawn by a graceful, ethereal deer. It landed beside them all.

"Get in," Artemis ordered.

Everyone filed in as Astraeus carried Zoë in his arms.

They all rode away on the chariot. The light of the moon followed them across the night sky.

[;]

It didn't take long to land on the wide open field. Astraeus immediately disembarked with Zoë. He laid her flat on the ground.

Everyone knew she was dying.

There was no saving her.

Tears pooled in the corners of Astraeus' eyes.

Zoë reached up a cold hand. "Do not cry, my love."

If Artemis was surprised, she hid it well.

"How can I not?"

"Because I lived a beautiful life," she whispered. "And this last week… I will remember it forever."

"I do not accept this," Astraeus murmured.

"You must…"

Astraeus turned to the sky. "I do not accept this!"

He cursed the Fates. He cursed the Titans. He cursed Atlas. He cursed Ladon. He cursed the Hesperides. He cursed them all— everyone who caused this.

"Astraeus—" Phoebe tried.

"Ananke!" Astraeus cried through bloodshot eyes. Zoë laid in his arms, unmoving, skin growing gray and pale with every passing moment. Above him, the gray skies swirled with an unabated force. A low drone echoed throughout Astraeus' surroundings, and everyone beside him heard it.

Artemis— her alabaster eyes widening in horror— reached out and attempted to put a hand on his shoulder. "Astraeus, don't do this."

But her words passed through deaf ears.

The sky broke, and a being descended from where it shattered. Astraeus could only describe it as angelic, otherworldly, and as alien as a being could possibly be. But it was… familiar to him. Like he'd seen it before, but had no memories of it. Astraeus couldn't pull his gaze away from the being, and when it landed before him, he stared in silence.

"Astraeus!" the goddess of the hunt cried. "Please do not do this. Do not trade your life away!"

Percy, Phoebe, and Thalia— they were too stunned to speak, too afraid, too worried, too much of everything. The presence of Ananke should have killed them, but it allowed them to live. If only for its own musement.

"It has already been done, Artemis," Astraeus said. He looked up at Ananke.

A force pressed against the front of Astraeus' mind. It spoke with the echoing voices of a thousand people, each one pulled from a distant memory.

Thine words hath touched stars, and reached me. Know that mine presence is genuine, and thine wish must speak.

"I…" Astraeus swallowed. He glanced down at Zoë. "I wish to make a trade."

Thy life for the life of the one which lays in thine lap. Ananke uttered the words as truth— not as a question.

"Yes."

This wish, thou knows the consequences of.

Astraeus nodded. He brushed aside some of the hair that had fallen on Zoë's forehead and gently laid his hand on it. His lieutenant was gone. For now. This trade would be worth it. The decision to trade his life for hers was one he would make a thousand times over.

Ananke's form lifted off of the ground and hovered a foot in front of Astraeus.

Astraeus pressed his lips against Zoë's. "Let the shadows of our past lie behind us, my love. Find your happiness, as I found mine."

He released Zoë.

Astraeus looked up at Ananke.

I'm sorry. Everyone.

And his vision filled with black.

A Shadow of the Past

That's it. The ending of A Shadow of the Past. It was a fun run!

Of course, this isn't the last we'll see of Zoë, or Artemis, or any of the cast of this story. After all, Percy has a Titan to kill, a prophecy to fulfill, and a pantheon to save.

Yes. This story is getting a sequel:

A Promise of the Future

See you all then!