Thalia had just enough time to raise Aegis over the four of us as bricks and metal rained down from the sky. Dust flew up into the air, clouding our vision and making us cough. I waved my hand back and forth, trying to clear the dust, wishing I hadn't once I saw was directly surrounding us.
It appeared as if some of the Cyclopes had rigged up some explosives to destroy the buildings encompassing the alley, and now, there were four of us in the smack center of a monster horde.
"Andy, do something!"
And I did. Something incredibly stupid, that is.
Although the majority of the walls had been destroyed, the gas main from one of the buildings was still intact. I lunged forward and slashed at the pipe, a steady hiss of gas filling the air as it escaped from the crack.
Then, I lit my hand on fire.
I know what you're thinking – that I'm a complete idiot, because while it served as a threat, there was the very real chance that the four of us would go boom as well.
But my threat was effective, sending some of the Telkhines and empousai who had been on the front lines scrambling backwards, not wanting to blow up. However, the Cyclopes that were there, maybe eight or nine, surged forward, unafraid as they were immune to fire.
"Take another step forward," I threatened, stepping towards the leaking gas main, "and we all blow up."
Internally, every fiber of my being was calling out for Blackjack and telling him to bring some back up, but externally, I had to maintain my composure. One of the Cyclopes tried to rush me, but I put a stop to that by launching a dagger of mine, letting it sink directly into his forehead as he started to crumple into dust.
Behind me, I heard Thalia cry out in pain, swearing under her breath. I also heard two arrows be released; whether it was from Cleo or an armed dracaena, I wasn't sure.
Hey, boss! Where you at? Blackjack said in my mind, leaving me so overjoyed that I wanted to cry in relief.
Down here! I projected, praying that he could hear me. Get my friends out of here first. I'll meet up with you when I can.
You got it, boss!
"Get to the top of those bricks," I whispered to the trio, launching my other dagger at another Cyclops. "Help has arrived."
I didn't turn around, only hearing the sound of footsteps scrambling up bricks. I waited a few more seconds before touching the gas main, a fireball forming almost instantaneously. There was more screaming as the fire spread with the leaking gas, racing in the direction of the sidewalk.
Although the fire didn't burn me, the gas was irritating my throat, making it difficult to breathe. But I couldn't leave yet, not when there were still seven Cyclopes calling for my blood.
Bending down, I scooped up my discarded daggers and whirled around, slashing at anything and everything that tried to touch me. When I got a little reprieve, I ran up the bricks, cursing underneath my breath when I tripped and banged my knee against a corner.
Standing atop the bricks was none other than Blackjack himself. Hop on! he said, lowering himself as I slung myself onto his back, my arms and legs trembling from over exertion. I was about to ask him where the others were, but once I looked into the sky, I saw two other pegasi flapping their wings above the burning alleyway.
Where to? Blackjack asked as he zoomed up towards the clouds, leaving the screaming monsters and mortals in the distance.
"Camp Half-Blood," I rasped out, coughing repeatedly until I no longer felt like I was suffocating. "As fast as possible."
You heard the boss! Step on it!
Oh, you're so on! the cream colored pegasus snorted, startling Cleo.
Last one there's a rotten apple! the dark brown pegasus cheered, taking off with Luke and Thalia in tow.
No fair, Guido! Cleo's pegasus whined before also taking off, leaving me alone with Blackjack.
"Those your friends?" I asked Blackjack as he started to fly, speeding through the clouds so quickly that the world was starting to warp quite literally.
Guido and Porkpie, Blackjack confirmed with a nod of his head. They're competitive, but we get the job done.
"I'm giving you all apples when we get back to camp."
What about sugar cubes?
"Aren't those really bad for you?"
Isn't the sun bad for you? Blackjack snorted. Live a little, boss!
I sighed, wincing as my hand brushed by my face, touching the cut that had been left behind by the arrow. Blood had stopped pouring from the wound, but my fingers were still stained dark red when I inspected them, meaning it was still open.
I would've tried to bandage it on the way to camp, but at the speed Blackjack was going, I had to hold onto him with both hands so I didn't fall off and end up somewhere in Brooklyn. We arrived a few minutes later, just as the sun was starting to set on the horizon.
To my surprise, Blackjack landed right outside the camp borders. I was about to ask why when I caught sight of Porkpie and Guido, but more importantly, their riders. The two pegasi were skittering nervously, neighing to each other as they circled around Luke, Thalia, and Cleo, acting like guards.
"What's going on?" I asked, slipping between Porkpie and Guido to meet up with the others. It didn't take me long to realize what I was witnessing and replied with an intelligent, "Oh."
Luke was hunched over Thalia, his body shaking with sobs as he clutched onto her hand, pulling up to his face, not even flinching when he pressed her hand against his wound. Cleo was furiously bandaging Thalia's abdomen, but a silent shake from her head told me all I needed to know.
Thalia was dying.
"Help her," Luke begged, his eyes glossy with tears as he turned to me. "Please."
I nodded grimly and got down to my knees, reaching into my bag and pulling out the purple vial. Thalia's breathing had become shaky, but she refused to show fear, telling Luke that it was okay.
"What's that?" Cleo asked.
"This potion won't save your life, but it will prolong it," I told Thalia, looking her in the eyes so she knew how serious and honest I was being. "This will keep you in a metamorphosis type state until we can heal you properly. But this is your choice, Thalia."
"Why are you helping me?" Thalia asked through rapid breaths, her teeth stained red with her own blood. "I've been nothing but rude and-"
"I don't care about that right now. All I care about is you staying alive." I paused for a breath, watching as she turned to Luke, tears shining in her electric blue eyes.
Luke gave her a reassuring nod and a weak smile. "I promise to wait for you," he told her, kissing the top of her hand gently. "I promise."
"I'm sorry to cut the moment short, but you need to make the choice now, Thalia," I said softly, fingering the cork at the mouth of the vial. "You don't have long, I'm afraid."
"I'll do it," she said not even a second later, eying the potion warily. "So what do I do?"
"Drink." I uncapped the vial and helped her sit up enough for her to drink the potion. Thalia downed the whole thing, grimacing at the taste, but sighing in relief. Whatever Salina had given me seemed to be working as Thalia no longer seemed to be in pain.
She sighed one more time before her eyes glassed over. Luke and Cleo gasped, crying as they thought Thalia had died before the potion could take effect. After explaining to a very angry Luke a couple times about what was happening, we watched as Thalia's limbs started to elongate, turning an oaky brown and appearing to turn into tree roots.
"Luke, you have a choice, too," I said, waving a hand over Thalia, halting the process of her turning into a tree.
"What choice do I have?" Luke bemoaned, hanging his head in despair. "The only choice I have is to find the cure to bring back my friend."
"You can do that, or you can join her."
"What?"
I told him everything that Salina had explained to me, which he took surprisingly well for watching one of his best friends die right in front of him. He agreed, though, and drank the last remaining droplets of the potion that had been left in the bottle. He then laid down, grabbed a hold of Thalia's hand, and I released the time bonds on Thalia.
Cleo wept the entire time, her face buried into my side as one huge pine tree grew to thirty feet tall over the course of five minutes, towering over every other pine tree in the valley. If you looked at the trunk in great detail, you could make out where Luke and Thalia were holding hands, a gesture of true friendship or possibly love.
I was crying too, hating the fact that I was the one responsible for their deaths. They trusted me to keep them safe, and now they were both combined into a tree. My sole consolation was that the apocalypse would be postponed for the time being as Thalia wouldn't be the child of the prophecy and Luke wouldn't turn into Kronos.
Blackjack walked up next to me, dropping a brown sack into my hands. Looking inside, there were three Golden Apples sitting inside, gleaming brightly like they hadn't been plucked off their tree three weeks ago. Cleo cried even harder at the sight of the apples, dashing through the border and towards the cabins.
I'm so sorry, boss, Blackjack said, neighing sadly. Guido and Porkpie had their heads bowed down in respect, also paying their condolences.
If I'd been faster, maybe she'd still be alive, Porkpie said, guilt lacing his voice. The docs could've done something.
"Don't beat yourself up about it," I told the dark brown pegasus, petting his muzzle reassuringly. "She was hurt in battle. There's nothing anyone short of Apollo could've done."
Come on, boys. Give boss her space, Blackjack said to his friends, and the three pegasi walked into camp, heading in the direction of the stables with their heads held low.
I turned to the newly formed tree and placed my hand on the bark, tears flowing down my face as I did. What's worse, I could feel their spirits within the tree, giving this pine tree an aura that resembled a dryad. But they were so happy to be with each other that I almost forgave myself for what I had done.
Almost.
I was so unaware of what was going on around me that I hadn't even heard the sound of dozens of footsteps approaching me. And because the Fates absolutely love me, standing at the front of the crowd was none other than Annabeth Chase.
She flung herself at the tree, hugging its trunk while her little body began to shake from the force of her tears. "No," she muttered under her breath. "This wasn't supposed to happen. We were supposed to be a family."
"Go to your cabins, now," Chiron told the campers, giving anyone who protested a stern look, daring them to keep pushing. He then joined Annabeth and me at the tree, sighing sadly as he reached out to touch the trunk, shaking his head solemnly.
"They were good heroes," he said, his face revealing just how old the centaur really was. "May they find peace in Elysium."
Annabeth started crying even harder at the mention of Elysium, her fingers digging so deeply into the wood I was worried she was going to give herself splinters. I ran my hand through her blonde curls, ignoring my exhaustion in favor of taking care the daughter of Athena.
"I'm sorry," I said, my voice breaking with emotion. I then handed the sack containing the Golden Apples to Chiron. "By the way, they succeeded."
Chiron opened the bag and pulled out an apple, examining it carefully before returning it into the sack. He then tied it to his waist with some string.
"They were so close," Annabeth said quietly, finally letting go of the tree and aggressively wiping away at her tears with the sleeve of her camp shirt. "I didn't even get to say goodbye."
And with that last statement, Annabeth turned on her heel and stormed back into camp, ignoring anyone who tried to ask her about what was so special about the new tree in the valley.
Chiron had a pained look on his face as he watched Annabeth run towards her cabin. "You should go to the infirmary," he told me emotionlessly, beginning to walk back into camp.
Even though I knew better, I followed Chiron anyways. Better to return to Olympus in one piece, I thought, making my way towards the addition to the back of the Apollo cabin.
According to Harry, I'd been unconscious for thirty-six hours after being admitted into the infirmary. While the other children of Apollo that were currently in the infirmary shot me worried looks between patients – last night had been Capture the Flag – I brushed off their concerns, telling them that it was just overexertion.
"Still," Harry said as he flipped through my chart. "You literally cracked your ribs three weeks ago and are now the Olympians personal punching bag. This isn't really the best way to heal, if you catch my drift."
"I'm fine, Harry," I said between sips of nectar. "Apollo cleared me my second day of training after Athena learned about my ribs. I promise, this happened because of overexertion."
"Whatever you say, Andy." Harry set his clipboard down at the foot of my bed and moved onto his next patient, leaving me to sip my cinnamon bun flavored nectar in silence.
After scanning the infirmary, I realized that Cleo wasn't here. I asked one of her sisters, Dawn, who told me that she was taking some time off from the infirmary in favor of having a more normal schedule like the other kids her age had.
I suspected this sudden disappearance from the infirmary had something to do with the results of her quest. I know if I was a child of Apollo who specialized in healing and couldn't help an injured friend, I would beat myself up over it. Especially having that amount of pressure at the age of eight…I can't imagine what Cleo must be thinking.
Harry gave me one last physical exam around noon, and after promising him that I wouldn't overexert myself like that again, he let me leave the infirmary. I had planned to ask Blackjack for a ride back to the Empire State Building to return to my training with Hermes, but that was quickly put to an end when I ran into James, who said to be at the amphitheater in five minutes.
Ignoring my confusion, I went down to the amphitheater, joining the stream of other demigods who were coming from all over camp. I took a seat underneath the flag with a caduceus, waiting for the rest of the Hermes cabin to make their appearance. By the time five minutes had passed, every camper was accounted for in the amphitheater, sitting under the banner of their godly parent's symbol.
Mr. D decided to make an appearance, taking a seat in the front row, scowling as he popped open a new can of Diet Coke. I wanted to smack him for his disrespect after realizing what this was, but if I did that, he'd turn me into a dolphin without any remorse.
Just then, one of the cleaning harpies dropped a scroll into my lap, scaring the living daylights out of me. I read the message and sighed, pocketing the scroll as I made my way down the marble steps until I reached the floor.
Chiron stood there, his lips pursed tightly together as he motioned for me to join him and the others. Noah, Connor, Travis, Cleo, Harry, and Annabeth were all standing there as well, awaiting Chiron's instructions. From the pained look that Noah and Harry wore, I felt like they knew what they were supposed to do too well, while everyone else's eyes were red and puffy from crying.
You know things are bad when not even the Stoll brothers are cracking jokes or trying to steal your wallet.
He explained to us how the shroud burning ceremony was supposed to work, and seeing that Cleo was the only remaining quest member, Chiron allowed for the young daughter of Apollo to pick the order of how the shrouds should be burnt. Cleo decided to burn her shroud first, then Luke's, and finally Thalia's.
As Harry and Cleo went to set Cleo's shroud on the altar, I asked Chiron, "Why was I called down? It's not like I'm any of their siblings."
"But you were their friends," he said sagely. "And since Thalia didn't have anyone in her cabin, I think it's fitting for her two closest friends to burn her shroud."
I internally snorted at being called one of Thalia's closest friends, but I wasn't going to disrespect her like that by refusing to burn her shroud if this is what Chiron was asking me to do. I nodded grimly and stood next to Annabeth, who was clinging onto my leg.
Harry and Cleo were fast to burn her shroud, Harry having said a few words about how proud he was of his sister before the two lowered the torch, letting the blue and gold shroud burn. Luke's was next, and Noah, Connor, and Travis told stories about how amazing Luke was at sword fighting and how good of an older brother he was. The three sons of Hermes lowering the torch together, the blue and white shroud burning right away.
Then it was our turn to walk up to the altar. Thalia's shroud had been made by the Athena cabin, meaning it was just as extravagant as you expected it to be from the children of the goddess of weaving. The shroud was made of electric blue and silver fabric, giving it the impression of being the sky whenever the fabric would move. And right on top was a golden lightning bolt as tribute to her father, Zeus.
Annabeth talked about how Thalia was practically the mother she never had despite only being twelve and constantly on the run from monsters. She spoke of the memories she made with Thalia and Luke, choking up when she started talking about her two best friends being a tree.
"I didn't know Thalia for long," I said, gently touching the shroud, as if I expected for there to be a body there, "but I know she would do anything for her friends. She fought until her last breath, a true hero until the end."
I tried to hand Annabeth the torch to burn Thalia's shroud, but she shook her head, adamantly refusing to burn her best friend's shroud when her body wasn't even there. I brought down the torch, watching in sick fascination at the speed of the fire on the fabric, smoke rising into the air moments later.
Annabeth and I walked away from the altar while I was tasked with extinguishing the torch. Chiron then told everyone that we weren't allowed to leave until the shrouds were done burning, earning some groans from some of the older campers (mostly the Ares cabin).
It took about a half hour before the shrouds finished burning, the Fates enjoying our suffering as we were forced to reminisce about our time with the fallen demigods. I didn't even blame Thalia for the way she acted around me. Love makes you do crazy things sometimes.
I left not long after that, telling Chiron that I had to get back to Olympus to inform Zeus of what had come to pass. While I'm sure he had been watching, I knew I had to report back to him, or else he'd be royally pissed off.
"Keep an eye on Annabeth and Cleo for me," I told Chiron, fidgeting with my bracelet. "They're too young for having to witness death up close."
"You act as if you aren't young either," Chiron said, choosing to walk me to the border, where Blackjack was already waiting for me. "You're only fourteen, Andy. No fourteen-year-old should have to watch their friends die in front of them."
"I've experienced things that I wouldn't wish upon my enemies, Chiron, and this is one of those times. Please, just make sure they don't do anything stupid."
"Annabeth do something stupid?" The word sounded foreign in Chiron's mouth.
"You know what I mean." I ran a hand through my messy curls, my fingers getting caught in the knots. Maybe I'd chop it off for easier maintenance. "Take care, Chiron," I said as I mounted Blackjack.
"You too."
Hermes was a complete mess when I returned to his palace. Zeus had taken the news pretty well in all honesty, but I knew how much it really hurt him by the way his eyes darkened and how tightly he'd gripped onto his throne. No one, god or not, wanted to lose a child.
I barely ducked a chair getting thrown at my head when I walked in, hearing Hermes shout, "Leave me alone, Apollo!" before something made of glass shattered.
The main living area of the palace was a war zone. Furniture was over thrown, books covered the floor, mountains of boxes and letters took up the majority of the space, and every picture frame that had been hanging on the walls were now discarded on the floor, the majority of the glass cracked beyond repair.
I found Hermes nursing a glass of whiskey in the kitchen, stirring it slowly before growing angry with it and chucking it against the wall, leaving behind an orange stain and broken glass. He then ducked down behind the counter and pulled out a dark green bottle with a label that read: Apollo's Super Juice. He didn't even grab a glass, chugging directly from the bottle before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
Deciding it was a better idea to leave the messenger god to his own vices, I found a broom and dustpan in a supply closet and went to work, cleaning up the mess Hermes had made. Thankfully for me, he hadn't really gone farther than the living room and kitchen, so it wasn't all that bad.
Trust me, I've had worse messes to clean up after at Mrs. Stetson's house, especially when the little ones thought it was a good idea to clog the toilets with toilet paper, which would cause the pipes to leak some not-so-nice things through the ceiling and the floor.
After checking in on Hermes one more time, who was passed out in his seat at the bar, I left him a note saying that I'd be at the track training. For the next couple of hours, I ran laps and jumped hurdles, switching to shot put when my legs started to burn.
An extremely drunk Hermes showed up around six, just as I was about to hit the showers. Anger burned in his eyes, and he was holding his caduceus, except it wasn't exactly his caduceus. George and Martha were glowing blue, and the wings had disappeared, turning into a sharp end like a spear but illuminated with pure energy.
I love laser mode, George said nonchalantly, slithering around like he was perfectly safe, which I guess he was.
Not when Hermes is drunk! Martha admonished. He's going to attack that poor girl when she's done nothing wrong.
"He's mad about Luke, isn't he?" I asked the snaked, pulling out Epithymia and bracing myself for the god's attack.
Yup, George answered. He almost had a heart attack when he saw you give Luke the potion.
George, gods can't have heart attacks.
I said almost.
"Enough you two," Hermes hissed at his snakes, tapping the pole to get them to shut up. He then turned to me, his blue eyes shining with unmistakable anger. "As for you, my dear Andromeda, you have much to pay for."
He lunged forward so quickly, I didn't even have chance to defend myself before being thrown back, landing roughly on my back. How the Hades was I supposed to fight the fastest Olympian? Not even Apollo, who could turn into pure sunlight and move at the speed of light, could beat Hermes in terms of speed.
As I was about to be impaled by Hermes, I remembered that I was a daughter of Kronos. Despite the promise I'd made to Harry earlier, I froze time around me, allowing for me to see where Hermes was.
After some prying, I got his caduceus out of his hands and freed George and Martha. Martha told me how to get them out of laser mode, and I promised I bring the two of them some rats for their help. As for Hermes, I sped up time for him, letting the alcohol in his system to be broken down by his liver.
Like I expected, when I resumed time, Hermes fell to his knees, clutching his head in agony. I set down his caduceus next to him, earning a look of confusion by the extremely hungover god. However, I managed to help somewhat by forcing some shadows around Hermes' face, keeping it dark enough so that the lights wouldn't exacerbate his headache.
Hermes was in such bad shape that I had to help him walk back to his palace. I set him down on the couch in the living room, turning off all the lights and returning with a large glass of water, some ibuprofen, and a wet rag. He didn't question me as I set the rag on his forehead and handed him the water and ibuprofen.
"What did I do?" he asked, his voice completely wrecked. Whatever was in Apollo's Special Juice definitely packed a punch, one that I hope I never experience.
"Drink a lot," I whispered, trying to contribute as little as possible to his hangover headache. "You're okay now."
"I-I don't remember if I trained you today. Did I?"
I shook my head no, telling him about his rampage while I trained by myself. He looked guilty about what he had done; that sadness about losing Luke had come back as well. But instead of going ballistic again, he merely sighed and asked, "Why'd you do it?"
I gave him the only answer I had. "It was the only way to save him."
Hermes didn't push any farther, lowering the rag so that it covered his eyes. I told him that I'd be in the room right next door if he needed me, which he responded with a wave of his hand. The rest of that night I was investigating within my books, taking notes about how my actions were changing the future.