Integrity
Chapter 4
Percy's Persuasion
Author's notes: As I've said before I don't own Percy Jackson and The Olympians, or The Heroes of Olympus. Everything in bold belongs to Rick Riordan. Enjoy!
...
Chapter 4: Thalia Torches New England
They raised eyebrows at the title of the chapter.
"That sounds like something Leo would do." Frank commented.
"Yeah it does." Hazel agreed with her boyfriend.
"What?!" Leo protested, "I would never do anything like that!"
"You torched New Rome." Reyna pointed out.
"Not on purpose! That was because of the eidolons!"
Percy shook his head and began to read.
Artemis assured us that dawn was coming, but you could've fooled me. It was colder and darker and snowier than ever. Up on the hill, Westover Hall's windows were completely lightless. I wondered if the teachers had even noticed the di Angelos and Dr. Thorn were missing yet. I didn't want to be around when they did. With my luck, the only name Mrs. Gottschalk would remember was "Percy Jackson, " and then I'd be the subject of a nationwide manhunt... Again.
"With your luck, who knows." Annabeth said.
The others nodded in agreement.
The Hunters broke camp as quickly as they'd set it up. I stood shivering in the snow (unlike the Hunters, who didn't seem to feel at all uncomfortable), and Artemis stared into the east like she was expecting something. Bianca sat off to one side, talking with Nico. I could tell from his gloomy face that she was explaining her decision to join the Hunt. I couldn't help thinking how selfish it was of her, abandoning her brother like that.
The others agreed with Percy at that statement.
"I agree, if I had known that Jason was still alive. I would have never joined the hunt." Thalia said firmly.
Jason gave his sister a thankful smile.
"I can see now why Nico didn't want to talk about you." The daughter of Bellona said coldly. "I wouldn't want to speak with you either after what you did." The feelings and thoughts reminding her of her older sister Hylla who abandoned her for the Amazons. She at least came to her aide when Camp Jupiter was attacked but she left soon after.
Leo shot a glare at the mentioned daughter of Hades for hurting his friend. He had started to become closer to the son of Hade, not to mention the daughter of Bellona as well. He felt strangely protective over the two of them.
Hazel hugged her brother who sat on the other side of her. He returned the hug gladly. At least he had one sister who he knew would never abandon him for the hunters of Artemis or the Amazons. Nico thought.
Thalia and Grover came up and huddled around me, anxious to hear what had happened in my audience with the goddess.
When I told them, Grover turned pale. "The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn't go well. "
"How'd they even show up here?" I wondered. "I mean, they just appeared out of nowhere. "
"And Bianca joined them, " Thalia said, disgusted. "It's all Zoe's fault. That stuck-up, no good-"
Said huntress glared at the daughter of Zeus furiously.
Thalia ducked her head in guilt.
"Who can blame her?" Grover said. "Eternity with Artemis?" He heaved a big sigh.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "You satyrs. You're all in love with Artemis. Don't you get that she'll never love you back?"
"But she's so... Into nature, " Grover swooned.
They raised eyebrows at the satyr who blushed in response.
"You're nuts, " said Thalia.
"Nuts and berries, " Grover said dreamily. "Yeah. "
They laughed at the satyr's antics.
Finally the sky began to lighten. Artemis muttered, "About time. He's so-o-o lazy during the winter. "
"You're, um, waiting for sunrise?" I asked.
"For my brother. Yes. "
I didn't want to be rude. I mean, I knew the legends about Apollo-or sometimes Helios- driving a big sun chariot across the sky. But I also knew that the sun was really a star about a zillion miles away. I'd gotten used to some of the Greek myths being true, but still... I didn't see how Apollo could drive the sun.
"Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said affectionately.
Percy grinned at her in response before he went back to reading.
"It's not exactly as you think, " Artemis said, like she was reading my mind.
"Oh, okay. " I started to relax. "So, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a-"
There was a sudden burst of light on the horizon. A blast of warmth.
"Don't look, " Artemis advised. "Not until he parks. "
Parks?
I averted my eyes, and saw that the other kids were doing the same. The light and warmth intensified until my winter coat felt like it was melting off of me. Then suddenly the light died.
I looked. And I couldn't believe it. It was my car.
"You have a car Percy?" Will raised his eyebrows.
"Nope," Percy told them, "Don't worry the book will explain it."
Well, the car I wanted, anyway. A red convertible Maserati Spyder. It was so awesome it glowed. Then I realized it was glowing because the metal was hot. The snow had melted around the Maserati in a perfect circle, which explained why I was now standing on green grass and my shoes were wet.
The driver got out, smiling. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, and for a second, I had the uneasy feeling it was Luke, my old enemy.
Luke raised an eyebrow at that. "You thought that I looked like Apollo?"
"Maybe,"
This guy had the same sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks. But it wasn't Luke. This guy was taller, with no scar on his face like Luke's. His smile was brighter and more playful. (Luke didn't do much more than scowl and sneer these days. ) The Maserati driver wore jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt.
"Wow, " Thalia muttered. "Apollo is hot. "
They laughed at her comment, while Luke fought down a twinge of jealously.
"He's the sun god, " I said.
"That's not what I meant. "
"Little sister!" Apollo called. If his teeth were any whiter he could've blinded us without the sun car. "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!"
Artemis sighed. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister. "
"Hey, I was born first. "
"I'm pretty sure that Artemis was born first." Annabeth interjected. "If I'm remembering the story right."
"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue-"
"So what's up?" he interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"
Artemis grit her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood. "
"Sure, sis!" Then he raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on. "
The Hunters all groaned. Apparently they'd met Apollo before.
"We have." Zoe affirmed.
He cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.
"Green grass breaks through snow.
Artemis pleads for my help.
I am so cool. "
He grinned at us, waiting for applause.
"That last line was only four syllables, " Artemis said.
Apollo frowned. "Was it?"
"Yes. What about I am so big-headed?"
They laughed at Artemis's reply.
"I think that Aunt Artemis has him pegged." Will grinned in response.
They others nodded in response.
"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm. " He started muttering to himself.
Zoe Nightshade turned to us. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. 'Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with, There once was a goddess from Sparta-"
"I've got it!" Apollo announced. "I am so awesome. That's five syllables!" He bowed, looking very pleased with himself.
Chiron sighed and shook his head.
"And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll. "
"These demigods will also need a ride, " Artemis said, pointing to us. "Some of Chiron's campers. "
"No problem!" Apollo checked us out. "Let's see... Thalia, right? I've heard all about you. "
Thalia blushed. "Hi, Lord Apollo. "
"Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half sister. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time-"
The three huntresses sighed exasperatedly.
"Brother, " Artemis said. "You should get going. "
"Oh, right. " Then he looked at me, and his eyes narrowed. "Percy Jackson?"
"Yeah. I mean... Yes, sir. "
It seemed weird calling a teenager "sir, " but I'd learned to be careful with immortals.
"Really?" Nico said in disbelief. "I don't believe that."
"Why?" Jason asked in confusion.
"Oh you'll see what I mean later on."
They tended to get offended easily. Then they blew stuff up.
Apollo studied me, but he didn't say anything, which I found a little creepy.
"Well!" he said at last. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way-west. And if you miss it, you miss it. "
I looked at the Maserati, which would seat two people max. There were about twenty of us.
"That will be a problem." Leo commented.
The others nodded in agreement with the son of Hephaestus.
"Cool car, " Nico said.
"Thanks, kid, " Apollo said.
"But how will we all fit?"
"Hey, Nico and I had the same thoughts!" Leo exclaimed.
Nico rolled his eyes at the son of Hephaestus while Percy continued to read.
"Oh. " Apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. "Well, yeah. I hate to change out of sports-car mode, but I suppose... "
He took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. Chirp, chirp.
For a moment, the car glowed brightly again. When the glare died, the Maserati had been replaced by one of those Turtle Top shuttle buses like we used for school basketball games.
"Right, " he said. "Everybody in. "
Zoe ordered the Hunters to start loading. She picked up her camping pack, and Apollo said, "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that. "
Zoe recoiled. Her eyes flashed murderously.
"Brother, " Artemis chided. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do not call them sweetheart. "
"Yep, the whole no contact with boys thing." Reyna replied studying her finger nails. "Including male gods." She shot another quick glare at the daughter of Hades for abandoning her younger brother for as Percy had put it 'an eternal girls club'. It hit a little too close to home with Hylla leaving her for the Amazons, whilst Bianca left Nico for the Hunters of Artemis.
Apollo spread his hands. "Sorry. I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"
"Hunting, " Artemis said. "It's none of your business. "
"I'll find out. I see all. Know all. "
"Well, that makes him sound like a creepy stalker." Leo told them.
Artemis snorted. "Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around!"
"No, no! I never mess around. "
"I find that very hard to believe." Nico snorted.
Artemis rolled her eyes, then looked at us. "I will see you by winter solstice. Zoe, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do. "
Zoe straightened. "Yes, my lady. "
Artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for tracks. When she rose, she looked troubled. "So much danger. The beast must be found. "
"What Beast?" Frank frowned.
"You'll find out." Percy interrupted himself before he continued to read.
She sprinted toward the woods and melted into the snow and shadows.
Apollo turned and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. "So, " he said. "Who wants to drive?"
The Hunters piled into the van. They all crammed into the back so they'd be as far away as possible from Apollo and the rest of us highly infectious males, Bianca sat with them, leaving her little brother to hang in the front with us, which seemed cold to me, but Nico didn't seem to mind.
"That's because I was too excited at the prospect of the gods being real and all of that." Nico said in reply to their questioning looks.
"This is so cool!" Nico said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat. "Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you and Artemis?"
"Downsizing, " Apollo said. "The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car. "
"It is a pretty sweet car though." Leo said. He started to draw their chaperone Coach Hedge right behind Reyna and Nico in his drawing.
They had to agree with him there. It was a pretty cool car.
"But how does it work?" Nico asked. "I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!"
Apollo chuckled and ruffled Nico's hair. "That rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas. Seriously, kid, it depends on whether you're talking astronomy or philosophy. You want to talk astronomy? Bah, what fun is that? You want to talk about how humans think about the sun? Ah, now that's more interesting. They've got a lot riding on the sun... Er, so to speak.
It keeps them warm, grows their crops, powers engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"
Nico shook his head. "No. "
They all burst into laughter at that. "Well, at least he's honest." Coach chuckled.
"Well then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car. "
"Can I drive?"
"No. Too young. "
"Oo! Oo!" Grover raised his hand.
"Mm, no, " Apollo said. "Too furry. "
"Too furry?" Piper said raising an eyebrow.
Will just shrugged in response. "Who knows?"
Rachel shook her head.
He looked past me and focused on Thalia.
"Daughter of Zeus!" he said. "Lord of the sky. Perfect. "
"Oh, no. " Thalia shook her head. "No, thanks. "
"C'mon, " Apollo said. "How old are you?"
Thalia hesitated. "I don't know. "
She glared at the pitying looks that she received.
It was sad, but true. She'd been turned into a tree when she was twelve, but that had been seven years ago. So she should be nineteen, if you went by years. But she still felt like she was twelve, and if you looked at her, she seemed somewhere in between. The best Chiron could figure, she had kept aging while in tree form, but much more slowly.
Apollo tapped his finger to his lips. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen. "
"How do you know that?"
"Hey, I'm the god of prophecy. I know stuff. You'll turn sixteen in about a week. "
"Right, the great prophecy." Hazel realized.
Percy, Thalia, Grover, and Annabeth nodded in response.
"That's my birthday! December twenty-second. "
"Which means you're old enough now to drive with a learner's permit!"
Thalia shifted her feet nervously. "Uh-"
Thalia groaned and buried her hands in her face. If these books were in Percy's point of view then they'd all find out about her fear of heights.
Jason gave his elder sister a worried look which she shrugged off. "I'm fine just remembering something that happens in this book."
The son of Poseidon read on before anymore questions could be asked.
"I know what you're going to say, " Apollo said. "You don't deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot. "
"That's not what I was going to say. "
"Don't sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what happened to the last kid I trained. You're Zeus's daughter. He's not going to blast you out of the sky. "
Apollo laughed good-naturedly. The rest of us didn't join him.
"I don't blame you there." Luke said.
The son of Hermes seemed to be becoming more at ease around the other demigods, Satyrs, and centaur. He was starting to comment more during the books and even talk to them; which was a big improvement from sitting there silently.
Thalia tried to protest, but Apollo was absolutely not going to take "no" for an answer. He hit a button on the dashboard, and a sign popped up along the top of the windshield. I had to read it backward (which, for a dyslexic, really isn't that different than reading forward). I was pretty sure it said WARNING: STUDENT DRIVER.
"Take it away!" Apollo told Thalia. "You're gonna be a natural!"
I'll admit I was jealous. I couldn't wait to start driving. A couple of times that fall, my mom had taken me out to Montauk when the beach road was empty, and she'd let me try out her Mazda. I mean, yeah, that was a Japanese compact, and this was the sun chariot, but how different could it be?
"A lot different." Grover answered.
"Speed equals heat, " Apollo advised. "So start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up. "
Thalia gripped the wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. She looked like she was going to be sick.
Jason and the others frowned in concern at that statement.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
"Nothing, " she said shakily. "N-nothing is wrong. "
She pulled back on the wheel. It tilted, and the bus lurched upward so fast I fell back and crashed against something soft.
"Ow" Grover said.
"Sorry. "
"Slower!" Apollo said.
"Sorry!" Thalia said. "I've got it under control!"
"Are you sure?" Leo said looking up from his drawing, "Because it really doesn't seem like it."
Thalia shot a glare at him in response before Percy read on.
I managed to get to my feet. Looking out the window, I saw a smoking ring of trees from the clearing where we'd taken off.
"Thalia, " I said, "lighten up on the accelerator. "
"I've got it, Percy, " she said, gritting her teeth. But she kept it floored.
"Loosen up, " I told her.
"I'm loose!"Thalia said. She was so stiff she looked like she was made out of plywood.
Chiron glanced at the daughter of Zeus worriedly wondering what was going on with her.
"We need to veer south for Long Island, " Apollo said. "Hang a left. "
Thalia jerked the wheel and again threw me into Grover, who yelped.
"The other left, " Apollo suggested.
I made the mistake of looking out the window again. We were at airplane height now-so high the sky was starting to look black.
"That can't be good." Leo commented.
"Nope, it definitely isn't." Nico added.
The two gave each other hesitant smiles.
"Ah... " Apollo said, and I got the feeling he was forcing himself to sound calm. "A little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over. "
Thalia tilted the wheel. Her face was chalk white, her forehead beaded with sweat.
Something was definitely wrong. I'd never seen her like this.
The bus pitched down and somebody screamed. Maybe it was me. Now we were heading straight toward the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles an hour, the New England coastline off to our right. And it was getting hot in the bus.
Annabeth looked worriedly at her friend. What exactly was the problem with Thalia?
Apollo had been thrown somewhere in the back of the bus, but he started climbing up the rows of seats.
"Take the wheel!" Grover begged him.
"Yes, take the wheel." Leo agreed earning another glare from the daughter of Zeus.
"No worries, " Apollo said. He looked plenty worried. "She just has to learn to-WHOA!"
I saw what he was seeing. Down below us was a little snow-covered New England town. At least, it used to be snow-covered. As I watched, the snow melted off the trees and the roofs and the lawns. The white steeple on a church turned brown and started to smolder.
Little plumes of smoke, like birthday candles, were popping up all over the town. Trees and rooftops were catching fire.
"Hence the title." Annabeth realized.
"No really?" Clarisse commented sarcastically.
"Pull up!" I yelled.
There was a wild light in Thalia's eyes. She yanked back on the wheel, and I held on this time. As we zoomed up, I could see through the back window that the fires in the town were being snuffed out by the sudden blast of cold.
"Well, at least the fires have been put out." Piper pointed out.
"There!" Apollo pointed. "Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is only an expression. "
Thalia was thundering toward the coastline of northern Long Island. There was Camp Half- Blood: the valley, the woods, the beach. I could see the dining pavilion and cabins and the amphitheater.
"I'm under control, " Thalia muttered. "I'm under control. "
They looked at her clearly not believing her statement.
We were only a few hundred yards away now.
"Brake, " Apollo said.
"I can do this. "
"BRAKE!"
Thalia slammed her foot on the brake, and the sun bus pitched forward at a forty-five- degree angle, slamming into the Camp Half-Blood canoe lake with a huge FLOOOOOOSH! Steam billowed up, sending several frightened naiads scrambling out of the water with half-woven wicker baskets.
"Those poor Naiads." Leo said mournfully.
They looked at the fire-user in confusion as if thinking 'Since when does Leo care about the Naiads'?
Percy shook his head and began to read on.
The bus bobbed to the surface, along with a couple of capsized, half-melted canoes.
"Well, " said Apollo with a brave smile. "You were right, my dear. You had everything under control! Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"
"Finished with this chapter." Percy told them. "How about we have a break now?"
The others nodded. They decided to go and have a snack before they continued to read.
Just as Bianca was about to follow them Percy grabbed her arm. She looked back in surprise. "Can I help you?"
"I was wondering if you could talk to Nico for me." He told her letting go of her arm.
"What for?" she looked understandably confused.
"He's been acting... weird towards me."
"How so?" A look of intrigue and concern came over her.
"One minute he acts like he totally hates me and wants nothing to do with me. Then it's like we're friends again and he's worried about how people have treated me in the past. I just don't get what's going on with him." Percy sighed in frustration.
"I wish that I could help Percy." Bianca said sincerely. "But he's completely ignoring me right now. I really don't think that he'll listen if I try to talk to him."
"You're his sister though." The Son of Poseidon replied. "Please Bianca, can you at least try to figure out what's going on with him?"
She sighed in resignation. "I suppose that I could try to talk to him." She said after a moment of silence.
His eyes lit up. "Thanks Bianca." He went to join the others in the dining area.
Bianca stood there for a few minutes thinking of how to approach her brother and what to say to him. She steeled her nerves and walked to the dining area to see her brother. She entered the dinning area and scanned the faces there. She didn't see her brother among them. She frowned in worry. She noticed also that the other girl who had been sitting on his other side was also gone along with the elder satyr.
"Hey," She approached her younger half-sister Hazel. "Have you seen Nico around?"
"Oh, hi Bianca" The daughter of Pluto responded, "No I haven't seen him since we left the room for the break. Sorry about that."
"He might be with Reyna." Luke commented. They turned to look at him. "What? Have you all seen they way they're connected? They rarely ever seem leave each other's side. They have a tight bond."
Annabeth nodded in agreement. "It does seem that way. Maybe they're in the infirmary?"
Bianca looked worried. "Why would they be in the infirmary? What's wrong with Nico?"
Will looked worried as well at that statement.
"Reyna wouldn't say anything to the rest of us." Piper told her.
"In fact she told us off for being crappy friends towards Leo and Nico." Frank added.
"Well, it seems like you guys have been." Clarisse responded. They shot glares at her. "What, it's true, don't deny it."
They all looked down feeling guilty. "Do you know what's going on with Nico?" Hazel questioned.
Leo realized with surprise that they were directing the question to him. "No, I don't." He admitted. "Reyna and Nico haven't said anything to me about whatever is wrong with Nico. Only the two of them and Coach Hedge know what's happening and they aren't saying anything."
"Maybe I should talk with Gleeson about young Nico? I'll see if I can find out what I troubling him, and more about his condition." Chiron informed them.
"Would you Chiron?" Percy asked hopefully.
He nodded in reply, "I'll see what I can find out." The centaur unfolded his wheelchair and ducked under the doorway and made his way to the infirmary.
Chiron ducked under the doorway of the infirmary and entered. He was met with the sight of Nico lying on one of the cots with Reyna and Coach Hedge by his sides. Coach Hedge seemed to be using some Nature magic to help Nico with his condition... whatever it was.
"Chiron." Nico noticed him first. The son of Hades sat up quickly.
"Nico, may I ask what is your condition?"
He looked away from the centaur.
"Very well, if you won't answer my question." He turned to their chaperone. "Gleeson, do you care to tell me what's going on with Mr. di Angelo?"
The satyr sighed and gave Nico a guilty look. "Sorry kid, I have to tell him. You're one of his campers. It's my job to protect you and Chiron may be able to help."
"Fine," Nico bit out. Reyna gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
Coach Hedge began to tell the centaur about Nico's condition in as much detail as he could. The Centaur was looking extremely worried by the time he had finished explaining everything. "I suggest that we get Will and inform him about what is going on with Nico. I think he may be able to help him more."
When Chiron came to get him Will didn't know what to expect. He hadn't said anything to them about Nico. He had just asked Will to follow him to the infirmary. What was going on with Nico? Why did he come to get him? Will shook his head and entered the infirmary behind the centaur. After they explained once more about Nico's condition this time to the Son of Apollo he went to work right away asking the younger demigod questions.
"How long has this been going on?" Will asked looking worried. He held a clipboard which he had found in a drawer of the bedside table and began writing things down on it.
Nico stayed silent. Reyna sighed before speaking. "Nico, if you don't tell him everything about your conditions, he won't be able to help you. Please Nico, think about me, think about Leo, think about Hazel ."
"Since before I got on the Argo II." He mumbled.
"Where were you before then? What were you doing?"
Nico froze he knew that question would be coming. That didn't mean he had to like it though. He didn't want to think about that place. He decided to try to get away with a half-truth. "I was trapped in a giant bronze jar by the giants Otis and Ephilates."
Will stopped writing abruptly. "What?" A look of worry overcame the son of Apollo's face.
He ignored the look on Will's face and mumbled the last part. "I survived by going into a death trance for days using pomegranate seeds from my stepmother Persephone."
"Did anything else happen before that? Anything that you haven't told me yet?" He demanded. A fierce feeling of protectiveness came over him.
The son of Hades was taken aback by Will's worry and protectiveness. It reminded him strangely of Jason after he had found out his secret.
"No." He answered after a few moments.
"I don't believe you." Nico looked up at the son of Apollo's answer. "You took a while to answer, so it was obvious that you were trying to think of an answer or a way out of this question, well, questions."
"Nico, please just answer all of his questions so he can help you." Reyna said.
"I was..." He swallowed before trying to speak again. "I was in Tartarus."
..
Authors notes: I decided not to take these down. No one has said anything to me about it being against the copyright laws or fanfiction rules. Besides I can't just leave all the guest reviewers high and dry like that. If it is against the rules surely fan fiction will say something about it to me... right? If it is it'll be my first offense so I eon't have my count frozen or deleted right?