Second Contact - Eruption

'Cross-ray Storm!' I shouted. The golden beam swept across the sky and tore through the three circling helicopters. With the threat in the air gone, I turned my attention back to the ground, where Artemis was handling a bunch of half-blood Kronos lackeys. She slipped between two kids, stuck her arrow through the temple of one and snapped the neck of the other. Twirling around, she had her knife ready, but I was a step quicker—bronze bit through skin and flesh as Riptide sank into the last girl's throat. She made a horrible gurgling sound as she choked to death on her own blood.

Artemis looked at me. 'That was unnecessary.'

I shrugged as the dead girl slipped off my blade, a spurt of blood spewing out of the gash in her neck. Some of it landed on my hand, staining it bright red. 'Just wanted to participate. Anything from them?'

Artemis shook her head no. I sighed. With the lead on Apollo gone and Rachel quiet, we'd again sunk into the routine of ambushing Titan squadrons for clues again. Unfortunately, it looked like Kronos was tightening up, because his patrols were few and far between these days—this was only the second group we found this month, and both times we came away empty-handed. I had the moon goddess with me this time, but it didn't really make things much better or more fun, especially considering how much of a funk she was in.

I sat down heavily on the asphalt. To either side of us, the rural highway stretched on endlessly. There were no cars in sight except for the wreckages of the ones we exploded—their smoke mingled with the still-fresh blood on my hands, creating a burning metallic scent that scalded my nostrils. 'How much longer are we gonna have to do this for? A year? Five? Ten? At this rate, I'm going to be in a nursing home by the time we find all the gods.'

Artemis sat down next to me, our shoulders almost touching but not quite. 'Thus is being on the losing side of a war. The Achaean fleet often looked no different from you right now during their ten-year siege on Troy.'

'Troy.' I scowled. 'Fought over nothing but pride. They could have left whenever they wanted.'

'A silly war that defined the West for millennia,' Artemis said. 'As the Moirai willed.'

'Right. The West.' I glared up at the blank night sky. We were somewhere outside Pittsburgh—too close to a big city to see stars. 'The shining beacon of civilization.'

'Whether we like it or not,' Artemis agreed.

I wasn't liking it very much at the moment. I thought about what Rachel said. 'Time after time, getting the gods' asses out of trouble just so you can risk your life doing it again. That's not hope. That's desperation.' Was this really what the three old hags of fate had in store for me? One exhausting fight after another, some Sisyphean kind of life, maybe surviving but never really living?

For context, Sisyphus was a dude who tried to escape death by tricking multiple gods. He ended up with his own special place in Hades with the funny punishment of pushing a boulder up a hill forever, except the rock always rolled down again whenever he was about to reach the top. When I first read his myth, I thought Sisyphus was your average deranged Greek villain. Then I went on a quest with Thalia and Nico for Hades's sword and had to grill him for some help. He tried to escape, obviously, and was every bit as slimy as you might imagine. But the more time passes, the more I kind of admire the dude for not packing it in and still trying to outplay fate after three millennia. I mean, just look at me. The great Daughter of Poseidon, Destroyer of Olympus, host of the Spirit of Hope. I was already thinking of giving up and it hadn't even been a decade yet.

Sisyphus's punishment wasn't just to roll a rock up a hill forever. It was also that he had to do it knowing that he would fail, and fail again, and again and again and again—forever. The true essence of the punishment lies in the despair it was supposed to create—the despair of knowing that you can do nothing to change anything, that whatever you do, you're really doing nothing at all.

But Sisyphus didn't despair. There's something heroic about being so scornful of fate, I think, that the eternal punishment you're destined for fails. And it wasn't eternal after all. Kronos won. I guess Sisyphus got his break.

We sat there for a little longer. I tried to rinse the dark red stains from my hand, but they were stubborn and wouldn't wash off. Every time I raised my hand up to my nose, the metallic stench invaded my sinuses, filling my mouth with the tang of blood. 'Out, damned spot! Out, I say—'

'Let's find something to eat,' Artemis said.

I raised my eyebrows at her. 'I thought you don't have to eat.'

She mirrored my raised eyebrows back at me. 'You don't have to be insufferable. Yet…'

'Touché,' I said, pretending to frown. I enjoyed this kind of banter. Our back-and-forths reminded me of the good times on my old quests, when I'd bicker with Annabeth and Grover and Thalia nonstop.

I held out a hand. 'Shall we, my lady?'

She gave me a look that said don't push it, but she took my hand. A moment later, we were soaring toward downtown Pittsburgh.

Now, you might be asking, how is Sephie so rich? How can she afford to eat at restaurants all the time? Has she been committing tax fraud? Does she run a drug ring?

The answer to the last two is no, for legal reasons. As for how I have so much money, well, let's just say Kronos is pretty rich, and whenever I meet one of his convoys I like to, ah, redistribute the wealth. From their briefcases to my bank account. Eventually the IRS is gonna be on my ass, but by then hopefully…you know what, no spoilers. Just keep reading.

We were in downtown Pittsburgh when something slammed us out of the air. I wasn't sure how, but one moment we were soaring through the stratosphere as a comet, and the next, I was my physical self again, trying desperately to get my bearings as I flailed and flipped through the air.

'Artemis!' I screamed, managing to right myself in the air. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw a silver streak hurtling through the air somewhere to my left. I looked down and saw the pointy tip of a skyscraper zooming in rapidly towards my face. 'Elpis!'

A golden bubble encased me just as I smashed into the skyscraper. The impact still jarred my bones. After completely demolishing the lightning rod of the building, I continued falling through fifty-something layers of ceramic and concrete until I slammed into the ground floor.

Luckily, as Elpis's chosen, I have some hardiness, so I was able to get to my feet after a minute of groaning and whimpering. A moment later, a silver ball of light landed next to me. Artemis solidified, mid-roll, and stabbed her knife into the ground to halt her momentum. It still carried her a good few dozen yards until she came to a kneeling stop beside the shattered chandelier that had crashed down after I demolished the ceiling with my ass.

'Artemis!' I ran to her. 'You okay?'

She wrenched her knife out of the ground. 'Yes. You?'

I nodded. She grimaced. 'What was that?'

I glanced around, searching for threats, but all I saw were people running. It was then that I realized, with growing horror, that we just crashed through an office building fully stocked with mortals going about their business. Now we were in the first-floor lobby with white-collar workers hopping around us like headless chickens.

'Shit,' I muttered. This was not good. We'd kept a low profile to avoid getting mortals involved more than they have to be, but this was definitely going on national—fuck that, international news. CNN probably thought it was a terrorist attack. 'Artemis? Can you fight?'

She drew her other knife in response. We stood back to back, circling around, looking for anyone—or thing—that might have attacked us. But all I saw were panicked mortals.

The hairs on my arms stood up. It felt cold. Familiarly cold.

The shadows around us thickened. I clutched Riptide tighter in my hands. 'He's here.'

Artemis's hand brushed against mine reassuringly. 'Stand firm, Elpis.'

'Sephie. I'm Sephie.'

Her hand stilled for a second. 'Very well. Stand firm, Persephone.'

A dark laugh sounded from somewhere above us. 'Are you?'

To our right, the elevator opened with a pleasant ding! And out he stepped, black smoke pouring behind him like he was the main character in a stage show making his grand entrance. He wore the same loose, black shirt and skinny jeans from when I saw him the first time, except this time, he carried a sword made of black metal—Stygian Iron, I thought. The tip of the blade screeched against the ground as he stalked toward us, showering sparks everywhere.

Artemis turned to stand beside me, shoulder to shoulder. She grabbed my arm. I realized I was trembling.

The boy came to a stop some ten yards before us. He smiled. 'We meet again, little bird.'

I bared my teeth at him. 'Haven't been eating too well, have you?'

He threw his head back and laughed. 'Oh, am I glad to see that spirit hasn't been extinguished. It would have been a shame if Pythia got to you before me.'

'We'll see who's gonna get got,' I snarled. 'How's your shoulder?'

'Who's gonna get got?' Artemis muttered.

'Shut up,' I muttered back. I pointed Riptide at the boy. 'So, what's the move, buddy? This time, my sword won't miss your face.'

His eyes glinted with a sort of mad excitement. 'Is that a challenge, Elpis?'

With a shout, I charged. His eyes sharpened, madness replaced by steel as he swung his sword to meet mine. Riptide and his dark blade clashed at the top of their arcs with a resounding clang, sending a shockwave that shattered all the glass railings that had survived our fall through the building. Elpis and his power seemed to repel each other—locking blades felt like trying to push two same-poled magnets against each other. I had to fight to keep my sword from flying out of my grip. Golden and black sparks rained down around us, hissing and smoking when they touched the marble floor. This was as much Elpis's battle as it was mine.

I pushed my body against Riptide, refusing to give ground. He did the same. We were evenly matched.

'Is this all the great Mistress of Hope has to offer?' he hissed. 'A petty, insolent, selfish child? Why Elpis chose you is beyond me.'

I gritted my teeth. 'Selfish? I don't know who you think I am, buddy, but—'

'Oh, but you are,' he sneered. My legs were starting to tremble from exertion. He seemed to notice, and laughed. 'Even now, your own desires cloud your mind and hobble your legs. Bestowed with so much power, so much responsibility…you cannot handle them. Elpis is not your savior; instead, you will be her downfall.'

'What can the spirit of despair possibly know about Elpis?' I snarled.

'More than you realize, child.' His eyes seemed to be devoid of all light, like a black hole. 'Hope and despair are but a thought away from each other. Cross the line, and salvation becomes destruction. Which will you be?'

'Fuck—off!' With a desperate burst of strength, I broke the swordlock and pushed him away. 'Shut up! You know nothing about me.' Despite how tired I was, my rage fueled my power, and my arms began glowing with golden light. 'Cross-ray Storm!'

He laughed. Just as the beam was about to hit him, he disappeared. I looked around wildly before feeling a sickening crunch in my ribcage. The kick sent me flying through the air and into a pillar.

I coughed and tasted my own blood in my mouth. He stalked toward me, grinning. His hands glowed darkly as energy began to pool in them. 'What a pity,' he tutted. 'For Elpis to be defeated this way.'

'Persephone!' Twin arrows streaked through the air, embedding themselves in his hands and making him shriek in pain. Artemis leaped at him, curved hunting knives flashing bronze in the air. With a sneer, he rolled aside and launched a wave of dark energy at her. Crossing her knives, Artemis deflected most of the power, but it still sent her stumbling. Her right foot caught a piece of rubble and she cried out as her ankle twisted unnaturally.

'Artemis!' I felt myself boil with anger. Staggering up, I spat out a glob of blood. My arms crackled with blue sparks as I crossed them, ignoring my burning ribcage. 'Over-ray Storm!'

'Bah,' the boy growled, gathering black energy in his arms and putting them together just like I did. A beam of dark, sizzling power shot out from his left arm, clashing against my pale ray. The collision sent another shockwave through the building, making the already unstable construction tremble. The force sent me tumbling backward—straight into Artemis's arms.

'Sephie!' Artemis steadied me, absorbing the force with her good ankle. We glanced at where the boy was—or rather, where he used to be. Because he was nowhere to be seen.

A sinister laugh echoed through the lobby. Or maybe it was just in my head. 'Very good, very good! Very good, Elpis. Perhaps this one has some fight left in her.'

'Who are you?' I demanded.

'The game is only beginning, godling. The Titans hasten their operations. Find where Misery and Woe converge—if you wish to stand a chance.'

The presence left. I glanced around wildly, but nobody was there.

Artemis sheathed her knives, scowling. 'Coward.'

I sheathed my sword. My breaths were quick and shallow, both because of my broken ribs and how much energy I had just spent, but we had to get out of here. The mortals that had cleared out were staring at us from outside the building. The ones that hadn't were screaming and tripping over each other as they tried to escape the obviously unstable building.

Artemis winced as she stood up, leaning heavily on her left leg. 'Let's move. The mortal police are here, and the press will soon follow.'

'We can't leave this many people in here,' I said. 'The building's gonna collapse.'

'The mortal police will take care of it,' Artemis said. 'We have to get out of here before we get plastered onto the front pages of international news.'

I looked around at all the mortals trying to escape the damage I had caused. There was still dust and debris raining down. Soon the whole thing would give, police or not. I knew Artemis was right. We had to move before our anonymity got compromised further. But…I couldn't leave all these people in danger.

'Hold on.' I knelt down, feeling something crack in my chest. 'Ouch. That didn't sound good. I'll be just a second.

Artemis kept her hand on my shoulder. A soft current of energy flowed into me, steadying my heartbeat and calming my breaths. 'Whatever you want to do, hurry. And have enough energy to leave.'

I pressed my palms against the tiled floors. I closed my eyes and reached deep into the ground, feeling the foundations of the building, and let my consciousness soar up until I envisioned the entire building—everything in it, from the walls to the floors, the water pipes and electrical lines, and the beams that held all of it together.

I remembered when the water first saved me, after Luke's hellhound attacked me after Capture the Flag. I had watched in amazement as it smoothed over my wound and washed away the blood, leaving behind nothing but a faint scar. The water saved me many times since, but for some reason, I'd never tried to heal others with it.

I am the daughter of the Earthshaker. Destruction came to me easily—but could I repair what was destroyed? Could I bridge rifts, fill gaps, and mend wounds? Could I save what would be lost?

'Hope and despair are but a thought away from each other. Cross the line, and salvation becomes destruction.'

Time to find out.

I took a deep breath, steeled my core, and sent a surge of power through the floor. I imagined a wave of stability flowing from my palms into the ground, traversing up and down the building, sealing the cracks in the foundations and ceilings. I didn't stop until I felt that my power had touched everything it could.

I opened my eyes and tried to stand up. Immediately, I felt woozy. Something surged up in my esophagus and I doubled over, dumping out the contents in my stomach—which were a mostly digested Twix bar and a lot of stomach acid. Artemis caught me as I almost fell over.

'Ow,' I sucked in a breath. 'Ribs.'

'I have you, Sephie. You're alright,' she said, adjusting her arms so she wasn't pressing on my broken bones. 'What did you do?'

I looked up, trying to detect if there was any more dust raining down from above us. I found none.

'I stabilized the building,' I said. Artemis looked at me quizzically and I smiled up at her, wriggling my eyebrows. 'Daughter of the Earthshaker, remember?'

Artemis shook her head. 'I did not know Poseidon's children could also…un-shake.'

'Me neither.' I stood up, with some difficulty. 'Now, let's get out of here.'

I grabbed her hand, mustering up the last dregs of my strength. A bright flash of gold lit up the entire ruined skyscraper. When it died, the mortals found themselves staring into an empty, destroyed lobby. Artemis and I were in the stratosphere.

'Well, that could've gone better,' I said. 'So much for a nice dinner.'

'Sephie, this is more serious than you know,' Even incorporeal, Artemis sounded anxious. 'The Mist cannot shield us anymore. The mortals just saw us crash through a building and fight a boy who walks in and out of shadows. This will ripple across the world. We are no longer protected by anonymity.'

'I guess that's what the Titans wanted,' I said bitterly. 'They've been gradually loosening the Mist's hold.'

'Mortals will begin to understand,' Artemis said. 'They will start taking sides. This war is now a political one as well as a bloody one. The Titans have been preparing for both. And we are not prepared for either.'

'Then let's get prepared,' I said.

'Do you have a plan?'

'A plan? No.' I stared at the Capitol as we soared down toward Sanctuary. 'But the boy…he said something. Find where Misery converges with Woe. I suppose that's our only lead.'

'Sounds like a fun time,' Artemis said.

'Any ideas?' I asked.

'A vague one,' she answered. 'But first—rest. You must allow your body to heal. I am putting you under house arrest for the next three days.'

'You can't stop me from doing anything.'

We soared through the night sky, glittering gold falling behind us like fireflies.

I heard a faint sigh. 'Do it for me.'

How'd she know that would work?