SARAH, trying to cheer the group up: Things could be worse, you know!
ZOE: How?
SARAH: How what?
ZOE: How could they be worse?
SARAH: They couldn't, I lied.
ZOE:
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
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️.ೃ࿐ CHAPTER ONE .ೃ࿐
( volume one ) the weight of living
i ️ The Hunters Vs. A Manticore Cultist
( circa. December of 2007 )
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤWITH THE QUEST OF WHAT SEVERAL OF THE HUNTERS HAD DUBBED 'THE LIGHTNING THIEF' ENDED, SARAH WILLOUGHBY WAS FREE TO RETURN TO A PEACEFUL LIKE WITH HER FELLOW HUNTERS AND LADY ARTEMIS. Sarah had not seen the quest come to an end, she had stayed behind in the Underworld while Percy, Annabeth, and Grover escaped through some sort of gift from the sea. Sarah really isn't sure of the semantics, she pretended like she didn't care but she did make sure that Sally Jackson was returned to the land of the living, which was an easier feat to do than she had expected. Of course, it had helped that Percy returned her dad's Helm of Darkness; she'd been halfway through her rant of why Sally should be let go when her dad had interrupted her with a heavy sigh of "it is done" and true to his word Sally had vanished from the throne room, Sarah had been too into her speech to notice that Hades had let Sally go.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah pretended like she didn't care what happened after she was free to go but she did ask Artemis if everything had been settled. Artemis had told her, although she looked almost uncomfortable do so ⸺ They had made it, Zeus got his bolt and he didn't kill Percy, apparently there was a Camper helping Ares, and somehow Artemis believed that Kronos might be behind it. Artemis' explanation had been, while uncharacteristically tense, more than enough to appease Sarah. She'd assumed that the camper who had taken the bolt was one of Ares' kids and hoped that they weren't terribly punished for helping their father. And with that Sarah had moved on, or so she told herself that she had.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤBut really, Sarah had missed it. Don't get her wrong, she loved being a Hunter, she loved her fellow Hunters, and she loved Artemis, but there was something about being at Camp Half-Blood that felt right ⸺ it felt weightless. She missed the Jackson twins though she loathed to admit it, she missed Annabeth, she missed Grover and how kind he was to her, and she missed Luke. But most of all, she missed the camp itself, she only truly felt free when roaming camp grounds and helping Demigods protect themselves for when they venture outside of camp. Sarah would never be able to describe it properly, not even in her own head or heart, she just longed to be at Camp Half-Blood. But what would Artemis say? Even, well almost even worse, what about the great prophecy? Well, Sarah, tells herself, if she can bury her crushes deeper than most people dig graves than she can certainly bury whatever this feeling was.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤAnd it had be going super swell, no one had suspected a thing ⸺ there were days where Sarah worried that Artemis suspected but the Goddess never said anything on the matter, so Sarah was safe. Sarah told herself that within the next year she'd be over this feeling. It was going almost too swimmingly, so Sarah shouldn't have been surprised when it all goes south.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤHerself and the Hunters we were Artemis following the trail of a Manticore who had hulled himself up in fancy boarding school. The Manticore had probably caught wind of some Demigod children, like the Manticore, they were waiting for the perfect moment to strike, only while the Manticore's target was a Demigod or Demigods, the Manticore was Sarah and the Hunters' target.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThe winds are cold, a snow storm happens to be raging on and Sarah is absolutely sure her chubby face is as red as her hair. She wouldn't say she hated winter, she knew that her dad was his happiest during this season and so was Persephone, both of them meant a lot to Sarah and she loved when they were happy but she hated cold weather and the feeling of snow getting stuck on her eyelashes.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤShe remembers one cold season back before she was accused, she had nearly died from some kind of flu-like sickness, several other children in her village had perished from it and just as many adults had as well. Sarah remembers being delirious from the fever, her lungs had been filled with fluid, she could scarcely breath, she remembers her conscious moments had been so bright and colourful that for the most part it hurt to keep her eyes open. She recalled a young woman, a warm glow that reminded her of the summer sun, nursing her back to health. The woman gave her a tight-lipped smile as she fed Sarah samp with wild berries. She also remembers the woman feeding her asparagus soup, Sarah's favourite meal that had been out of season. Sarah had asked her how she had gotten the soup especially one that tasted so good during the cold season but Sarah's certain that her words had come out slurred and ineligible because of the sickness, the young woman had merely hushed her. Sarah remembers that she could not stomach most of the food as she was so sick. It got so bad that she tried refusing to eat at all, the woman wouldn't let that slide.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThere's a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, she feels as though she had just eaten a huge snowball as a memory comes back to her in vivid detail.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThe woman's voice is soft like the dandelions that grow in spring but she still sounds firm and distant as she tries to encourage Sarah to eat more. Even at seven years old Sarah had been wildly stubborn and despite being dazed and lethargic from the sickness she had shaken her head fervently, despite this the woman fed her a spoonful of asparagus soup. Sarah immediately went to spit it out before she had to throw it up, but the woman had shoved her mouth closed harshly. Her face had been inches from Sarah's but the only thing that Sarah remembers of the woman's face is her eyes, they had been this deep shade of red ⸺ a red similar to what Sarah knows now as pomegranates.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah is quick to shake off this revelation, she often recalls memories of her childhood which were effected due to her parentage. It hardly phases her anymore, she wipes the snow out of her eyes. If she has to stay out in this weather much longer, Sarah thinks, she'll end up sick as she had as kid. Sarah's pretty sure she had been playing with Giles and a few other kids in the snow before she and half of them fell ill with whatever sickness it was. But Sarah couldn't say for certain if that's how it happened all she knows is that this weather reminded her way too much of her childhood and she hated it.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Hurry up, Sarah," Malvina Waley, one of her fellow Hunters calls out to Sarah, "You wouldn't want to get lost, you've almost made it a whole year without incident!"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah lets out a huff, rolling her eyes as she trudges to catch up with Malvina. Most of the Hunters were out of Sarah's sight but Malvina and Ceyln and stayed behind knowing that Sarah tended to zone out on long ventures. She appreciated this gesture, she really did, but that doesn't mean she had to show it.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Yeah, yeah, Mal, I'm coming! "
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤIn the distance she can see and hear the fancy boarding school. It was a dance night for the school, Artemis had informed them, she thought that this might be the night that the Manticore leaves the school seeing as most of it will be preoccupied with the dance.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤOnce Sarah, Malvina, and Ceyln had caught up with the rest of the Hunters, they took a turn away from the school. Everyone, especially Artemis, could sense that the Manticore was no longer in the school, it was somewhere out in these woods. They follow the trail towards the cliff, the one overlooking the ocean, that's when Sarah hears a familiar voice mention an even more familiar name.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤShe edges a bit closer than the rest of the Hunters, feeling intense need to know who was with the Manticore. It couldn't be him ⸺ there's just no way it was Perseus. Sarah was three hours away from his normal territory but this was Maine and Grover did have a soft spot for Maine. And wherever Grover went, Sarah was sure that Percy would follow if Grover had asked.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤZoe pulls her back, silently hissing at Sarah, mouthing a scold about how she almost gave away their location. Sarah doesn't listen much to Zoe's chagrin, she pulls herself out of the older girl's grasp and edges closer to the tree line.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you," The Manticore is saying, it speaks in a french accent.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah leans forward trying to get closer without making a sound, she peers through a gap in the tree branches. She has to bite back a heavy sigh when she sees the familiar face of her cousin ⸺ of course it had to be her Perseus Jackson.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤHe looks older, his hair had grown out but he doesn't look to be in the best condition which meant that the Manticore had struck him.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤHe is with two other kids ⸺ a boy and a girl, siblings by the looks of it. Sarah thought looked familiar but she couldn't pinpoint where she had seen them, certainly not at camp because they looked widely confused and painfully unarmed. But besides those two, Percy was alone.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"The General," Percy asks in a similar french accent but clears his throat and asks again, 'I mean . . . Who's the General?"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThe Manticore doesn't answer him, instead it looks towards the horizon where it appears there's a helicopter on the horizon of all things, it says in a thrilled tone: "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Where are you taking us?" The younger kid, the boy, asks, his voice is shaking. He looks and sounds confused and terrified, Sarah immediately feels the urge to protect him but just as immediately as the feeling came, she swallows it.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"You should feel honoured, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls," The Manticore says, blatantly ignoring the kid's question, Sarah's got no idea what the monster is talking about and she doubts the kid has anymore clues than she had.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤStill the kid stands taller by Percy's side, confusion and horror melting with offence as he snaps at the Manticore: "They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and ⸺"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Now, now," The Manticore warns, 'You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And, if you do not, well . . . There are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThe Great what? Sarah thinks, taking another cautious step forward, ignoring the looks of the Hunters that burn into her back.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"The Great what?" Percy voices her thoughts. He looks confused but also like he was doing anything to keep the Manticore talking. He's waiting for whoever is with him to catch up and help, Sarah realizes.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"The stirring of monsters," The Manticore explains, his voice sinister and low, "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all ⸺ the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah's eyes widen and she dares to look at Artemis, however the Goddess doesn't look all that shocked at the Manticore's words, she motions at Sarah to draw her bow, Sarah would be taking the first hit on the Manticore. As she's instructed, Sarah draws her bow as quietly as she can but suddenly Percy is exclaiming and there's the sound of others arriving at the scene.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤHer cousin's back-up has a arrived, she can tell as she hears Grover letting out a bleating war cry, it's followed by a familiar voice yelling "For Zeus!"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah looks to Artemis, would they be attacking or did her cousin and his gang have claim over the Manticore now? Other Hunters look to Artemis for the same reason, the Goddess holds up her hand. Sarah lowers her bow slightly, they would be waiting until it became clear that her cousin' group was losing the fight, the Hunters that didn't look to Artemis, namely Zoe as she was well adjusted to nearly everything, looked thoroughly miffed that they couldn't finish the monster off just yet.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah looks through the gap in the tree she catches sight of a familiar looking shield before her eyes land on Grover, who has brought his reed pipes to his lips and had begun playing a frantic melody that reminded Sarah of the Pirates of the Caribbean. She's not sure exactly what the song does as she can't see the whole scene but it has the Manticore roaring in frustration.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"A Manticore," Sarah hears Annabeth exclaim in shock, so the gang is all here.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Who are you people," The other kid with Percy demands to know, the girl this time, "And what is that!"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThe boy gasps "A Manticore! He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah blinks, feeling astonished, he's talking about Mythomagic! That game was popular back in the 30s or the 40s, kids these days actually know what that is?
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Get down," Annabeth exclaims, followed by the sound of grunts, Sarah jumps as one of the Manticore's thorns imbeds itself into the tree in front of her.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThis is so not going well, Sarah looks to Artemis but the Goddess still has her hand up signaling them to wait.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThere's a thwack and Grover yelps as the melody cuts off.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Yield," The Manticore roars.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah nearly snorts as if these three would ever, there's a shout of "Never" from the voice that was familiar to Sarah but she couldn't put a name to it, perhaps this was Cher. Sarah had never seen or heard Charybdis Jackson, or as everyone calls her 'Cher' in a fight of any kind so perhaps it was her. Sarah smiles, glad that it appeared that Cher found the warrior within herself.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThe searchlights on the Helicopter light up the area, nearly blinding Sarah in the process, she couldn't imagine how her cousin and the rest of them were dealing with it. They would surely lose because of the blasted Helicopter, why were monsters even using a Helicopter?
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤPercy lets out a distressed cry, Sarah looks back to Artemis who finally gives them the go ahead, the Goddess blows the horn. Sarah and the hunters take aim.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThere is near silence save from the sound of the Helicopter, the Manticore whispers something in horror, as it knows that the Hunters are upon it.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah lets her arrow fly, it hits the Manticore in the shoulder and it lets out an anguished cry. In response it ejects several of its' own projectiles, they miss the Hunters by a long shot. Well, one almost hits Hunter Kowalski, who lets out a curse, Sarah glances back to make sure it hadn't hit them, it had missed them by an inch.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThe other Hunters let their arrows go, then they descend upon the Manticore and the Demigods.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"The Hunters," Annabeth lets out a delighted cry.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah looks around at the scene before them, no longer half hidden by the tree line, Annabeth is own the ground protecting the new Demigod children the ones Sarah is sure were the Manticore's targets. Across from her is Grover, Percy, and Cher, or at least Sarah believes it's Cher until the girl looks up.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤElectric blue eyes meet Sarah's golden brown eyes and it feels as though the wind as been knocked from her lungs ⸺ Thalia!
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤZoe steps forward seeing as Sarah doesn't, she says something but it doesn't register in Sarah's brain.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤShe's too focused on the girl at Percy's side. It was Thalia Grace, no doubt about it, but she couldn't understand how. Sarah tries to inhale but nothing comes from it, there's no way that Thalia was here, alive and well, it's not possible.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤDid a Manticore's poison cause hallucinations, Sarah wracks her brain for the answer she should know but nothing comes, she hadn't felt herself get hit by a thorn but there was several instances where Sarah had been injured and didn't realize until much later.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤA hand is placed on Sarah's shoulder, she feels immediately calm, the specific calm feeling she gets when she looks at the moon, it was Artemis who was at her side. The Manticore wails something about the ancient laws, Artemis gives Sarah's shoulder a gentle squeeze bringing her out of her shock long enough to look away from Thalia and at the Manticore, but Sarah still struggles to breathe.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Not so," Artemis disagrees with the Manticore, "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast. Zoe, permission granted."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead," The Manticore growls as it lunges for Percy and the girl who is Thalia Grace but couldn't possibly be Thalia Grace.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"No," Annabeth cries as she lunges after the Manticore and directly into the Hunters' line of fire.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤZoe tells her to get out of the way but Annabeth has already leapt onto the Manticore's back and thrusted her trusty knife into it's mane. The Manticore lets out a howl that has Sarah's brain vibrating in her skull and suddenly she's aware of everything.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤRealizing that using her bow was too dangerous with Annabeth on the Manticore as it moves in circles struggling to get rid of her, Sarah immediately drops it and pulls out her weapon she'd called Threnos from her hair which quickly changes from a hair pin to a scythe within seconds. Sarah rushes forward, swinging the blade low enough to damage the Manticore but not injure Annabeth.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah yells for Annabeth to let go of the monster but she's drowned out by Zoe instructing the Hunters to fire their weapons. Sarah tries to grab ahold of Annabeth as she dodges to the side to avoid being impaled by an arrow but instead Annabeth's foot or knee, Sarah really isn't sure which, comes in contact with her cheek and nose. She tries to grab onto Annabeth, but her fingers narrowly miss Annabeth's hood as Sarah stumbles backward, dazed and confused after being hit in the face.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤShe falls to the ground, tears blurring her vision and blood spilling into her mouth from her nose which is surely broken. She lands on top of someone, who lets out a pained grunt, she's too distracted by Percy's yelp and the sound of a dozen arrows whizzing through the air.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThe Manticore vows that the Hunters will pay for what they've done, Sarah snorts at this and tries to lift her head up so she can witness the monster die but as she lifts her head, her vision swims and she can't really tell what she's seeing.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThen the Manticore falls or maybe jumps, Sarah can't tell with how her vision is swimming in front of her, all she can tell is that there is a mess of blonde curls still attached to the blobby outline of the Manticore as it plunges off the cliff. Sarah inhales sharply, did the Manticore take Annabeth with him, she couldn't see well enough to confirm it herself but Percy screams out Annabeth's name and that confirms everything.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah jolts forward, her vision lurching with her body, the snow and blood blurs together into a mess of white and red cow patches She reaches for Threnos or anything that feels like it could be a weapon but before she can grab hold of anything, someone is at her side, pulling her back as the sound of what she must be mistaking for gun fire is heard.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤWhen she looks to the person who had grabbed her, she's half expecting to see the pomegranate-eyed woman there ready to shove asparagus soup down her throat. Instead she's met with the girl who can't be Thalia Grace but is somehow Thalia Grace, once again Sarah wonders if the Manticore's poison can cause hallucinations.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤShe tries to think of the last coherent thought she had, what last made sense and what could be the reality. Her head throbs as she wracks her mind for something, anything to explain what is going on. The last thing ⸺ the sound of people arriving to help Percy! That's where things started getting weird, perhaps she had been hit then?
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤA shadow advances upon them, Sarah startles because it must be a monster but the girl beside her doesn't even flinch, she doesn't take her piercing eyes off of Sarah.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Grover," She says and she sounds exactly as Sarah remembers Thalia sounding, "Get me an ambrosia square."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThere's a beat of silence and then Sarah hears Zoe say "Thalia Grace ⸺ you know you could at least say please."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThe girl that looks like Thalia looks up and scowls "Zoe Nightshade. Perfect timing as usual."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤHer voice trembles with rage, it has to be Thalia, only the actual Thalia would address Zoe like that.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah remembers, though her head throbs as she thinks about it, that Luke and Thalia had crossed paths with the Hunters weeks before they encountered Sarah, who had been separated from them and had stumbled upon little Annabeth in the process. She couldn't remember what they had said or done to Thalia, not when trying to remember it made her brain feel like it was going to split in half.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Four Half-bloods and a Satyr," Zoe says, addressing Artemis as far as Sarah can tell, "Sarah's been injured, nothing fatal, probably not even concussion."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Yes," Artemis replies, "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤPercy begins yelling about how he needs to go after Annabeth.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThere's a sympathetic edge to Artemis' voice as she tells him "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤAnnabeth had fallen, Sarah thinks and she tries to get up but Thalia holds her down, gentle but firm. There's the sound of a struggle, Sarah tense, and once more she tries to get up but the girl's hold doesn't budge.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," Artemis says to Percy, or at least Sarah assumes she says this to Percy.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤPercy doesn't seem to agree with that and says "Let me go!"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤShe wonders who'd been tasked with holding him back, she felt sorry for whoever it was. Her fellow hunters were strong but the sea doesn't like to be restrained and Percy is the child of the sea.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Who do you think you are," Percy demands.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah winces when Zoe's shadow shrinks, Zoe would defend Artemis tooth and nail over things smaller than Percy's snappy tone towards the Goddess, she couldn't bring herself to think about what Zoe would do to the poor kid. She struggles harder to get up and stop Zoe from maiming her cousin but Thalia's look-a-like which actually may be Thalia though Sarah can't figure out how it's possible, pushes her back down.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"No," Artemis says in a stern tone, "I sense no disrespect, Zoe, the boy is simply distraught, he doesn't understand."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThere's a pause and then she adds "I am Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThere's another pause and then her cousin says something so lame and so him that she remembers why she missed the gang so much.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ"Um, okay."
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤHe's probably in shock too, of course, Sarah is too.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSomeone let out a gasp that's quickly followed by Grover rambling out: "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so. . . You're so . . . Wow!"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah's pretty sure that Thalia rolls her eyes but it all becomes too blurry to tell as she turns her head and snaps "Get up, Goat Boy, we have other things to worry about like Annabeth ⸺"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤHer voice falters, there's a beat and then she snaps again "Can someone get Sarah some ambrosia or nectar! Honestly, does anyone listen to me?"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤThe last part is mumbled then she turns back to look at Sarah, her face softens "Hey there, Salem, did you miss me?"
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSarah's eyes widen, without a doubt this is Thalia. Thalia, the little girl that had died in her arms years ago. Now she holds Sarah in her arms and while Sarah is far from dying, Thalia is still acting like she's fatally wounded. Sarah's not sure what Thalia's expecting her to do or say to that but Sarah's sure that what she does next wasn't high on Thalia's list; Sarah promptly passes out.
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
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( nulla ) The Sword Of Damocles Is Swinging
───────── ❝ the author's commentary ❞
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v. AUTHOR'S NOTE ⸺ sarah really said i'm out! also for a majority of this chapter i was like on roll, like i haven't written a chapter as fast as i did this one in months this story truly has me in a chokehold!
in case any readers read the word 'samp' and went wtf is that,, it's what colonialists called oatmeal as i picked up from the internet! i'm not sure how correct that is but i'm gonna go with it just to make Sarah seem more like she was born in the 1600s rather than just saying she was born in the 1600s. also the same place i got the samp info from said that they often made asparagus soup which sounds DISGUSTING but it's now sarah's favourite. also expect sarah to constantly connect her surroundings to her childhood in salem because it's her way of not forgetting it!
persephone is the best step mom in the whole world,,, zeus is all like 'y'all can't interact with your kiddos fellow olympians' and persephone is like joke's on you zeus she's not my kid and i hate her (she doesn't but she won't admit that for a while) and persephone actually interacts with sarah a lot as a child although most of the interactions were done begrudgingly. we'll see sarah recall these encounters quite a lot through out this story!
AND i'm gonna explain it in the next chapter but her weapons outside of her bow and arrow are a dagger she calls TERAS which means 'monstrosity' in greek which she named this after the last thing her mother spoke to her which was calling her a monster,,, sarah has issues okay! And then we have THRENOS (means funeral song in greek) which was mentioned in this chapter and also in the prologue! Luke had it made for her and gave it to her the night before the lightning thief quest and it's a SCYTHE which is actually kronos' choice of weapon so there's some foreshadowing for Sarah to deal with! and also a Scythe is what the Grim Reaper uses and more often than not Hades is incorrectly seen as the greek version of the Grim Reaper so I thought it'd be cool for Sarah to have a scythe for these reasons. anyways i'll explain more about Threnos in the next chapter but I just love it so much I had to ramble about it here!
thanks for reading the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you thought of it in the comments!
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ
WORD COUNT ⸺ 4, 539 words excluding the author's notes
