The demigods and gods met up at the campfire at 8pm, they all made some s'mores and joked around.
"All right everybody, we have a song which we've dedicated to the ones we lost." Percy announced
Everybody looked at him. The ones part of the song nodded and stood up next to him. Will took his guitar and Nico took the piano. The music of See You Again started.
"It's been a long day without you, my friend.
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again" Will started
"We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again" Nico sang while playing the piano.
"Damn, who knew?
All the planes we flew, good things we been through
That I'd be standing right here talking to you
'Bout another path, I know we loved to hit the road and laugh
But something told me that it wouldn't last
Had to switch up, look at things different, see the bigger picture
Those were the days, hard work forever pays
Now I see you in a better place (see you in a better place)
Uh" Percy rapped
"How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through, you were standing there by my side
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride." Nico, Will and Percy sang
"It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again (I'll see you again)" Nico sang
"We've come a long way (yeah, we came a long way)
From where we began (you know we started)
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again (I'll tell you)" Will sang
"First, you both go out your way and the vibe is feeling strong
And what's small turned to a friendship, a friendship turned to a bond
And that bond will never be broken, the love will never get lost
(The love will never get lost)" Percy rapped
"And when brotherhood come first, then the line will never be crossed
Established it on our own when that line had to be drawn
And that line is what we reached, so remember me when I'm gone
(Remember me when I'm gone)." Nico rapped
"How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride" the three demigods sang, their cheeks stained with tears.
"So let the light guide your way, yeah
Hold every memory as you go
And every road you take
Will always lead you home, home." Will sang
"It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again
When I see you again (yeah, uh)
See you again (yeah, yeah, yeah)
When I see you again" the three of them finished.
Everybody burst into cheers. All of them had watery eyes and were hugging each other.
They all talked and went to sleep around 10pm. Nico walked into his tent.
"Um dad you planning on sleeping?" he asked, as the lights were all switched on.
"Not really, we're gonna read the books we bought." Hades grinned
"Oh lovely." Nico muttered
"Good night then." He said out loud and went to Percy's tent
"Ah hello Nico. Jason's here too." Percy grinned
Hazel came running into Percy's tent as well.
"Could I sleep here too? I'd sleep with Annabeth but Athena's there too and I'm not really comfortable with her." she asked
"Sure, so it's a sleepover then." Percy chuckled
Hazel grinned.
They all put their bedding and went off to sleep at once.
They all woke up at 10am so they got a 12 hour sleep. The demigods came out yawning and stretching. They all looked like 10 year olds so all the gods smiled.
Nico went into his dad's tent for one second and ran out screaming.
"Ahhh." He came out yelling and ran into Percy who snickered.
Hades came out of the tent sheepishly.
"What just happened?" Percy asked
"The same thing that happened on the date day. Shouldn't have shown them the retellings." Nico grumbled
The demigods who knew what happened roared with laughter.
"Poor guy." Triton shook his head
"Let's get reading." Lee said
They all went to the throne room when there was a flash and there was a note with a book which said
'Read this before the last book.
The Fates.'
They all sighed.
"I'll read." Hazel said and grabbed the book. She and Nico were sitting between Percy and Triton as Hades and Persephone still seemed absorbed in the mood of the retellings.
"The Diary of Luke Castellan." She read out
The demigods raised their eyebrows.
"He had a diary?" Travis asked
"Apparently." Nico shrugged
MY NAME IS LUKE…My life is pretty crazy
"That I can't argue with. Pretty relatable." Chris sighed
The demigods nodded.
But I promised the old man I would try… I'll be able to put it behind me.
"That's a good idea." Castor said with raised eyebrows
"Hmm but I don't think I have the patience to write a diary." Percy shook his head
Everybody chuckled.
"Good point Seaweed Brain." Annabeth laughed
Percy grinned.
I should probably start with the magic goat.
"I'm sorry did you just say magic goat?" Connor asked
"Very sure yes." Hazel chuckled
"Lit." Connor grinned
For three days, Thalia and I had been following the goat across Virginia…the goat was some sort of sign from her dad, Zeus.
"Surprising." Poseidon snorted
Zeus glared at him.
Yeah, her dad is a Greek god… If you think that sounds cool, think again.
"Yeah Nico, think again." Thalia teased
"Shut up." Nico pouted
Demigods are monster magnets.
"Got that right." Rachel snorted
Percy grinned sheepishly.
All those ancient Greek nasties like Furies and harpies and gorgons still exist, and they can sense heroes like us from miles away.
"So like sharks and blood." Percy said
"Percy what the heck?" Thalia asked
"Fun fact: It's a myth that sharks can smell a single drop of blood from a mile away." Percy said
"Oh well it's sea related, of course you know it." Thalia snorted
Percy grinned.
Because of that, Thalia and I spend all our time running for our lives… so I'm going to move on.
The gods and demigods shuffled awkwardly.
"Percy stop moving." Nico hissed
"How the heck am I moving? I just shifted a little and the rest is breathing. You're the one stuck to me." Percy hissed back
Nico sighed.
Anyway, this goat would pop up at random times…So we followed the goat.
Thalia grinned.
"Yeah if you don't want to be shocked, listen to her." Nico snorted
Thalia gave him a small shock and Nico's hair stood up.
"Just like that." Nico said
Thalia smirked.
Nico got the shadows to tickle her and she was rolling on the floor. Nico smirked.
Then he stopped. Thalia glared at him.
Early in the morning, we made it into Richmond…I barely remembered what it was like to sleep in a real bed.
"Wait a second. He was on the run for five years?" Leo frowned
"Yes." Thalia said
"And he was not given any safety measures? What the heck?" Percy asked angrily
"We can't interfere." Zeus said
"What the freaking heck? You just sent her a sign. Luke's been on the run for five freaking years. You wouldn't last without all these luxuries. If you have so much problem with demigods then don't even sire us. You can't help us, strike that Zeus won't help us and the other gods who want to can't either, but he excepts us to do all the shit for him." Nico said
The demigods looked down. A few of them knew that their parents wanted to help them but they couldn't just because of Zeus.
After walking another mile, my feet felt like they were melting inside my shoes.
Hermes winced at the pain he felt.
I hoped we could find a place to rest…I wondered why she sounded so nervous.
"Oh her." Annabeth nodded
Thalia isn't scared of much…she's considering the best way to beat you to a pulp.
"Yep, that's true." Jason said
Thalia stuck her tongue out at him.
Anything that scared her…Thalia had never mentioned a goat.
"Dragon?" Travis asked
Thalia nodded.
As far as her old life in Los Angeles…Eventually Zeus dumped her, as gods tend to do.
The gods grimaced.
Her mom went off the deep end…contentedly nibbling grass at the base of the monument.
A few snickers.
I was no expert on barnyard animals…but nobody seemed to notice the radioactive goat
"Radioactive." Beckendorf snickered
The demigods joined in.
That didn't surprise me…"Now you want to talk to the goat?"
Everybody laughed.
"He probably thinks you're insane." Pollux laughed
Thalia grinned sheepishly.
Thalia dragged me out of the rosebushes…She's my only friend.
The demigods sighed.
Before we met, I'd traveled for years on my own, lonely and miserable.
Hermes winced at the thought of his nine year old wandering the streets.
Once in a while I'd befriend a mortal…I always ended up leaving.
Nico sighed.
But Thalia understood…Or maybe I read them wrong. I hoped so.
The demigods mouths hung wide open.
The Stolls and Leo started fake crying.
"How did you meet such an awesome goat?" The Stolls whined
Thalia and Zeus smirked.
Thalia looked into the goat's eyes…Oh, by the way, my weapon was a golf club.
"Wait what?" Beckendorf frowned
"A golf club won't do anything against a monster unless you have a golf competition." Nico frowned
"You couldn't even give a spare weapon to him." Percy shook his head
Feel free to laugh.
"It's not funny." Lee sighed
I used to have a sword made from Celestial bronze…I'd be in trouble.
"Commando goat." Leo snickered
The demigods sniggered at the mental image.
I cleared my throat… He didn't mean to insult you.
Everybody laughed.
"That was awkward." Thalia chuckled
Why have you led us here, Amaltheia?...I wasn't sure why, considering how afraid Thalia seemed.
"No option." Thalia shrugged
The goat bothered me…I hadn't even gotten to try the ice dispenser.
"Priorities." Silena chuckled
"You sure about this?" I asked Thalia…my mom's sanity, and my chance at a decent life.
Hermes flinched.
Nico and Percy grimaced, remembering May Castellan.
Sorry, did that sound bitter?
The demigods grimaced.
Anyway, because of my dad's godly thieving… like the breath of a dying man
"Yeah, not good." Nico said
Thalia marched through anyway…heap of cans, rags, and bones—human-sized bones
"That's not good." Annabeth said
Thalia pulled her weapon from her belt…This time nothing happened.
"His unlocking powers are super cool though." Chris sighed
"Yeah, we use pins." The Stolls sighed
Hermes grimaced.
"Some kind of magic," I said…Her spear clattered on the floor.
The demigods shuddered.
"That was very creepy and weird." Katie said
Thalia nodded.
I dragged her away as the curtains returned to ooze…They were steaming and blistered.
Zeus' hands started steaming and were blistered too.
"Ow." He muttered
Her face paled like she was going into shock.
"That's not good." Will said worriedly
"Hold on!" I lowered her to the ground…"You're going to be fine," I said. "Just rest."
Zeus' hands returned to normal.
"We—we can't…" Her voice was shaky…"Hurry." Clack, clack, clack.
"Shit, that's creepy." The Stolls shuddered
The demigods nodded.
"And confusing." Annabeth added
Now I've faced some scary stuff before…My instincts said, Run.
"I don't really know if he should trust his instincts right now." Percy said
"That's all he's got." Jason pointed out
I grabbed Thalia's hand and bolted for the stairs…accidentally kicking a human skull.
The demigods jumped.
"That would be very shocking." Nico said
"Personal experience or something?" Percy asked
"No, just seen skeletons but kicking the skull would be very weird." Nico said
Somewhere ahead of us, the man's voice called…but the skin of his face hung loose as if he'd been partially deflated.
"Oh no." The demigods said at once.
Apollo grimaced as he got a hint of who it was.
His room was arranged like a studio apartment…jarring clack, clack, clack I'd heard downstairs.
"That is one of the creepiest things I have ever heard. It would be much worse in real." Chris said
Clarisse nodded.
The monster fixed its glowing red eyes on me…You've been lured here to die."
Apollo winced. He remembered Hal.
We'd left Thalia's spear downstairs…unlikely any demigod could live to be an adult.
The gods flinched and the demigods just sighed.
Yet Halcyon Green was ancient…would only lead others to their doom."
Silence.
The demigods looked at Apollo in horror. Apollo flinched violently.
"What the heck dad?" Will asked, in a hurt voice
Apollo flinched again.
"I'm sorry." He said
"Sorry is not going to change the misery you caused your own son." Reyna said
Jason looked down.
Apollo winced at the reaction.
"I won't do it ever again." He promised
The demigods scowled but gestured for Hazel to continue reading.
An angry coppery taste filled my mouth…My deadbeat dad had ignored me for fourteen years.
Hermes grimaced again.
But Halcyon Green's curse was just plain wrong. It was evil.
The demigods nodded.
"You should fight back," I said…There is no escape."
"That's plain awful." Piper said
The demigods nodded and scowled.
Inside the monster's enclosure…I would've run straight toward it.
"Like Cyclops?" Tyson asked
Thalia nodded.
Tyson shuddered.
The second monster spoke for Hal…The suspense was almost worse than an attack.
"Sometimes, you actually wish an instant one." Percy said, laughing dryly
The demigods nodded.
The gods winced.
Part of me was tempted to knock out the old man with my golf club… deadbeat parent Olympian gods, for that matter.
"He's right." Apollo said
The demigods grimaced this time. They didn't want to think about hitting their parents at all.
We took inventory of Hal's prison apartment…it attracts monsters like blood attracts sharks.
"Did I just make the same comparison as Luke some time ago?" Percy asked in amusement
"Yes." The demigods said
"Whoa." Percy said
We moved on to the bathroom…metal floor safe and gestured at it like: Ta-da.
A few chuckles.
Hazel put the book down.
"That is a lot." She said
"Can you open it?" I asked…All of them were dead.
"He was right in one way." Thalia muttered
Jason patted her back. He knew how she felt.
Still, she fixed me with those intense blue eyes…Judging from Hal's wide eyes, this was news to him.
"Those unlocking powers are pure lit." The Stolls said
Chris nodded.
"Very useful. Helps sense some traps too." He said
Thalia swallowed. "I trust you…He gestured at the safe like: Go ahead.
"He's a good guy who's been cursed. What's worse than that?" Pollux sighed
The demigods scowled. Hal didn't deserve to be cursed.
I touched the combination lock…Or maybe I die today.
The demigods sighed, feeling bad for Hal.
"Thank you, Mr. Cheerful," I said… I realized he was crying silently.
Everybody glared at Apollo.
"A good soul and a good guy. You guys curse them, no wonder so many demigods joined the titans or not many souls like that exist." Thalia said
The gods flinched.
Thalia shot me an irritated look…The closest hit I got was Help me cure leukemia.
"Wow, that was still close though." Chris said
My head was throbbing…Thalia, give me your hands.
"That's really nice of him." Reyna said
"And brave." Annabeth said
He turned to her…But someday you will find your family again.
"Totally right." Percy said in awe
"Yeah, I changed from a tree and I found Jason again." Thalia sighed
Jason slung an arm around her shoulders.
Thalia clenched her fists… Typical god thing to do.
"That's kinda true. Some gods are changing while some of them still stand by the wrong stuff." Percy said
"That's true." Thalia nodded
Thalia, you know anything about the shield?"…Maybe that's why Amaltheia had brought us to the mansion.
Zeus frowned.
"I have to agree with Luke there." Jason said
The demigods nodded.
"He already sounds pretty bitter towards the gods." Reyna said
"To be honest, being in his condition, like running away at nine for five years or more, without a place, without anything until Thalia came along and coming in such places, who wouldn't be bitter." Beckendorf said
The demigods sighed.
Hal Green held out his hands to me… He yanked his hands away and stared at me in terror.
"I guess he saw what would happen." Annabeth said
Thalia nodded.
"Okay," I said…But also a betrayal.
"That guy is right on point." Nico said
The demigods nodded.
"He didn't deserve to be cursed. He's still trying to be nice." Lee said
Apollo grimaced.
"I know, I do regret cursing him." He said
"Good you regret it then. It shows you've really changed." Reyna smiled
Apollo nodded.
I waited. Hal didn't elaborate…Because Luke would never betray anyone."
Thalia flinched.
The demigods didn't dare to say anything.
Hal typed, His path is hard to see…You're pathetic!"
"Thalia-" Jason swallowed, not wanting to mess with her.
"Let it be Jason." Percy said quietly, he knew Thalia took these things seriously and that was one topic nobody should touch.
Jason nodded and swallowed.
Anger kindled in Hal's eyes… "This is it. The recipe for Greek fire."
The demigods smiled at Hal.
How had I known to search for it? ...Last time, I almost killed Luke."
"Thank the gods it's better now." Nico said
Thalia nodded.
The hairs on my neck stood up…You do understand how dangerous Greek fire is?
"Very." Beckendorf said
Leo nodded.
I swallowed. "Yeah. It's magical fire…but the clock told us we were almost out of time.
"They've got to hurry." Annabeth said
My face beaded with sweat as I mixed the ingredients…It might help you with your decisions.
"I wonder if it did." Silena said
"We'll find out." Castor sighed
"What decisions?" I asked…Sometimes the future really is better left a mystery.
"Sometimes it is but he still didn't deserve to be cursed." Michael said
"Yeah, like a small punishment would've been better, he would've learnt his lesson too." Will said
Apollo nodded.
"Hal, your father was a jerk…I'll feel better knowing you have it.
Annabeth smiled.
"Hey was that your dagger?" Percy asked
"I think so." Annabeth said
He met my eyes, and I finally understood what he was planning…ready to go out fighting.
"No." The demigods said
"That's depressing but…but that's how it is." Nico said
The demigods looked down.
I couldn't believe he was offering to sacrifice his life…"Someone order a magic bomb?" she asked.
"Kinda." Leo grinned
Just then, the clock registered 7:03…but the ploy seemed to work.
A few chuckles.
"That's weird." Dakota chuckled
The creatures galloped toward the bathroom…And the mansion shook with a massive explosion.
The demigods took in shaky breath.
"That's- Hal was our brother." Will said
Lee and Michael nodded grimly.
We burst into the hallway, which was already on fire…until finally it disintegrated in the dark oily folds.
"Good job guys." Annabeth smiled
Thalia gave a sad smile.
We bolted for the front door…tower of fire roared into the evening sky
The demigods gave some silence for Hal.
Hazel continued after two minutes.
My throat burned. My eyes felt like they'd been splashed with acid.
Hermes gave out a pained yell.
His kids kept their hands on his shoulders.
I looked for Thalia and instead found myself staring…cowering behind the statue of Robert E. Lee.
Everybody chuckled. Hermes' pain went away.
"I'm fine now." He smiled at his kids who nodded.
Yeah, I know. It sounds comical now…Yet he'd chosen to go out a hero.
"He died a hero, he redeemed himself." Pollux said
"He was very brave really. I'm glad I met him." Thalia sighed
I felt guilty that I couldn't save the old man…If the gods ever treat me that badly, I will fight back.
"Oh shit." The demigods said
Okay, I know that sounds like crazy talk…They can come down here and tell me to my face.
Some of the gods looked affronted while the others just sighed. They knew that Hal shouldn't have been cursed like that.
We stopped for a rest near an old warehouse…mostly for the glow of the Celestial bronze.
"The glow is pretty useful but can get you in trouble." Percy said
The demigods nodded.
"Stygian Iron doesn't really have that glow, so kind of more nightmarish." Nico said
Hades nodded.
Thalia grabbed her spear and summoned Aegis…A hammer hurtled straight at my face.
Annabeth grinned sheepishly.
Things could've gone very wrong…She was even younger than I had been when I ran away.
Athena looked upset. Annabeth sighed.
Despite her fear, she looked at me with large eyes…It was almost like a second chance.
Annabeth smiled.
Thalia knelt next to me… Now fate had given us the chance to save another little girl.
Annabeth grinned.
"I'm glad I had the chance to use it." She said
"How'd you like a real monster-slaying weapon?" I asked her…I have a feeling you're pretty clever."
"Got that right." Percy grinned
Annabeth beamed at me…never let this girl come to harm.
The demigods stared at the floor.
"I am clever!" she said… Demigods had only each other.
The gods stared at the floor. It did hurt some of them to hear it from Luke's point of view.
I put my hand on Annabeth's shoulder…I've got to be worthy of their trust.
"He was at the time." Annabeth sighed
None of us has had good luck with our dads…we're going to have a conversation about that.
"Oh they had it." Thalia muttered
For now, I'll just have to survive day to day…Luke Castellan—signing off for now.
"I'm glad I got to find out about Hal." Lee said
The demigods nodded.
"Done." Hazel said
"I'll read." Demeter said
Hazel gave her the book.