Zoe stood before a large hut of mismatched grey stones sandwiched together with a similar colored mortar and topped with a cone of straw. A small trail of smoke rose from the top of the straw roof. A wooden door separated them from the inside of the structure. Zoe raised an eyebrow at her father next to her. Percy shrugged. "Hecate's always been an odd one," was all he said before walking to the door. After leaving the throne room, Poseidon had impressed upon them that if they needed anything they need only pray and left. While Zoe felt that leaving so soon left them somewhat vulnerable, she understood that Poseidon's threat was more than enough to stave off any retaliation. Afterwards they had made their way down the mountain to Hecate's residence. Percy had flashed out of his scorched armor and grumbled about annoying glow sticks. He then lead them to a nearby clothing store so that Zoe and Reyna had a chance to change out of their armor, which Percy then teleported the armors home.
Reyna gently nudged Zoe along and the two followed Percy who knocked sporadically on the door before entering with a grin. Entering the hut, Zoe found walls lined with shelves with potions, artifacts, gems and many items that Zoe didn't recognize. Occasionally a bookshelf interrupted the shelves, filled with books of all shapes and sizes In the center a cauldron sat above a hole in the dirt floor where greek fire burned, an unknown liquid bubbling within. A counter stretched across the far wall, littered with beakers, animal bones, and jewels. Hecate walked out of an entrance behind the counter, scowling at Percy. "One knock, Perseus. I have told you before, one knock." Her form thin and pale with light green eyes framed by straight, deep purple hair. She nearly looked exactly like Karina. Though Zoe's friend was darker and her features much sharper.
A lopsided grin stretched across Percy's face. "Yeah but where would the fun in that be?"
"You know every knock goes off in my head right?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
Percy's grin widened. "Maybe I know something about that."
Reyna flicked Percy's ear, who squawked indignantly. "I apologize for the man-child. We were wondering if you could help us?"
Hecate's scowl lessened before she shimmered, her features sharping. She examined the three of them, eyes resting on Zoe. "Help containing the overwhelming power she is exuding?"
"Yes. She had been given wards by Lady Vesta but as you can see they have broken," Reyna explained to the now Roman goddess. "We could just recast the wards but we want her to be able to access her full power to protect herself."
Trivia hummed. "So you want something that will drain her excess energy but allow her to use it should she need it?" She considered for a moment before digging through the mess of jewelry on her counter. She pulled a small silver band with a round sapphire gem embedded into the center. Trivia popped the sapphire out of the band and roamed the room. She stopped at a pile of crystals and gems on a shelf. She dug into the pile and pulled something out of it. The Goddess of Magic turned and pushed the new gem into the silver band before going back around the counter. Zoe watched as the goddess closed her eyes, her lips barely moving. Trivia's eyes opened, her eyes glowing with power. Her gaze found Zoe. "Give me your hand girl," she commanded.
Zoe presented her right hand to the goddess who gently took her hand and clipped the silver band to her wrist. Instantly Zoe felt her power being funneled into the band. The pressure that had been building since the encounter with the Olympians lessened considerably. She felt no different than before her wards had failed. The wide band shrunk to fit her wrist, the onyx gem reflected the light of the Greek fire. The black stone reflected the light of the greek fire. The band itself was carved with letters that Zoe didn't recognize.
Percy gave Trivia a satisfied nod. "Thank you Trivia. We doing drachmas or you want a favor?"
The roman goddess just stared at him. "A favor from you is much more valuable than drachmas."
"Alright. Well, let me know. Of course I'm not going to do anything to crazy for you like throw a hurricane at someone you don't like or start a war," Percy reasoned with her. "But we can figure that out later."
"Did I mention that the stone stores her energy, allowing her to access it at any point?"
Percy's clamped his mouth shut before nodding. "That might be worth a hurricane." Zoe couldn't tell if he was joking.
Zoe looked at the stone curiously. "Wouldn't it eventually become full? What would we do then?"
Trivia shrugged her shoulders. "Replace the gem. Different gems and crystals can hold different amounts of energy. That onyx should hold out for a couple of years, even with the amount of energy you are producing."
The group thanked the goddess, who waved them off and practically shoved them out of her store. Trivia asked Zoe to tell her daughter that she was proud of her before shutting the door behind them. They stepped out into the main road of Olympus. The cobblestone road twisted around the mountain. Each side of the road dominated with structures and gardens of all shapes and sizes of Western culture, from Roman villas to more modern supermarkets. People moved up and down the road, going from cafes to vendors or one of the many gardens sporadically placed on the mountain.
"So what now?" Zoe asked her parents. "Back to camp?"
Percy and Reyna shared a look before they shrugged. "Nah," Percy answered her. "This is your first trip to Olympus. Let's explore a little, eh?" Zoe smiled widely as Percy lead her away.
They grabbed a quick helping of some donuts and coffee. Her's had sprinkles and chocolate glaze, the coffee a caramel Frappuccino. They stopped by several vendors who had everything from intricate and beautiful jewelry to extravagant weaponry. Zoe picked up a thin gold chain with a set of diamonds imprinted with the symbols of each Olympian arranged in the constellation pattern of Orion, with some of their more notable godly children filling in the gaps.
Percy looked over her shoulder at the work before smirking. "I'm going to buy this for Artemis," he said as he pulled out a pouch of drachmas and tossed it to the vendor.
Zoe looked at her father quizzically. "I thought you two were not on speaking terms?"
Her father shrugged. "She shunned me because she thought I betrayed Reyna. After today I expect her to apologize. Then I'll drop this in her lap and watch the fireworks. Apollo will be proud."
Reyna rolled her eyes. "She might just kill you outright."
"Nah," Percy responded with a grin. "I'm like a more responsible, less annoying version of her brother. She wouldn't hurt me...much."
After packing up the necklace the trio made their way to the nearest garden. Zoe had a brief conversation with a nymph, Rosemary, who helped care for the garden for Hera and showed her several of the more exotic plants she nurtured. Zoe had always liked plants, not as much as the Demeter or Dionysus kids but still. From roses to olive trees, the garden seemed to host every sort of plant you would want. Taking her leave, their small group made their way down the main road.
A large temple split a park not unlike Central Park. Steps lined the front of the structure leading to tall columns of stone holding up the angled roof. Percy began climbing the steps without a word. Zoe shared a quick glance with Reyna who urged her to follow. Zoe met her father at the top of the steps, her mother in quick step behind her. Passing between the columns, Zoe found the temple to be one gigantic space from wall to wall. Alcoves sat within the walls at regular intervals, statues filling the spaces with little plaques resting on the bases. The statues seemed to range in materials from wood, iron, bronze, ivory and other materials. Between each alcove Zoe could make out images of feats and epic battles. Nine large marble statues dominated the center of the building arranged in an upside down U. Looking up Zoe found one side of the ceiling depicting the Second Titan War and the other, the Second Giants War. Both prophecies encircled the major figures of each war in the center which happened to sit right over the nine statues. No one else was in the temple. Zoe wondered if her father had sent word ahead and made any staff members clear it out.
Percy gave her a proud if sad smile. "Welcome Zoe, to the Hall of Heroes," he informed her, spreading his hands out.
Zoe walked along the walls, her eyes flickering over the statues before she came to a statue of a couple. The boy was large and burley, most likely a son of Hephaestus, and the girl had flowing hair and soft features. The two held each other closely and looked moments away from kissing. Both appeared to be made of bronze colored to resemble their appearance. Zoe looked down at the plaque: Charles Beckendorf & Silena Beauregard, Son of Hephaestus, Daughter of Aphrodite, Cabin Counselors, Lovers, Heroes. Below she found a brief description of their lives. From how they came to camp to how they came together fighting the myrmekes and finally how the two passed. It also stated that the two resided in Elysium together.
"We never told anyone," Percy's voice startled her. She had forgotten her father was behind her.
She turned a little to see her father. "Told them what?"
"That Silena was really a traitor," he answered solemnly. He sighed at Zoe's widening eyes. "She had been feeding Luke information for most of the war. Unwillingly, but that doesn't excuse the damage she did."
"So why label her a hero?" Zoe questioned her father.
"Because she saved us. She lead the Ares cabin to Manhattan when Clarisse refused. She took on the Lydian Drakon knowing that she couldn't kill it," his fists clenched. "She died so that we could have our rallying cry, our martyr. We couldn't tell everyone the truth. We needed every edge we could get and afterwards there just didn't seem a point in revealing the truth."
Zoe examined the statue again. She tried to imagine being in her shoes. To feel trapped by your choices. The only way out through the jaws of a monster you can't defeat. Would she be courageous enough to face her death? Maybe that's enough thinking for now. "Why tell me?" she asked instead.
Percy gazed upon the statues. "You already know the secrets of the Giants War. Most of them anyways. I don't want you caught off guard in case the sins of my past come back to haunt you...more than they already are."
Zoe nodded and moved on. Reyna pulled Percy aside, they weren't really whispering but Zoe didn't care to listen. She approached one of the alcoves where an stained ivory statue of a girl around her age stood with bow in hand drawn and leaping to the side. A circlet was braided into her hair which looked to be flowing in the nonexistent wind. Zoe looked down at the plaque which read: Zoë Nightshade, Lieutenant of the Hunt, Daughter of Atlas, Friend. From living in the Garden of the Hesperides to her unfortunate death atop Mount Othrys. Zoe looked back up to the girl. This was the first time she'd actually seen her namesake. Demigods and Hunters didn't really make to much an effort to carry around cameras. She was beautiful. The stained ivory gave her the look of a Persian princess in silver Hunter garb. Her eyes were life like and gave a hard and determined look. She would often ask her father why he chose the name Zoe for her. "Zoë Nightshade lived and died by her choices," he would tell her. "She was the person who taught me the kind of hero I wanted to be. I wanted that wisdom to be imparted to you."
Zoe looked to her parents who weren't really looking at her, still discussing whatever Reyna wanted to talk about. She thought about the constellation The Huntress which sent her on her way. How long had she been watching over her? Maybe her whole life? She didn't know. It comforted her however. She hoped the spirit of Nightshade was proud. She moved on to the statues in the middle. The Seven sat with Percy at the head of the U. Annabeth, Piper, Leo and Nico to his left and Jason, Hazel, Frank and Reyna to his right. All were depicted in armor of all kinds with their signature weapons, her father wielding both Riptide and his drakon sword. Each statue had much larger plaques than the others in the temple.
"I always thought I should have been in the lead," a new male voice said. Zoe turned to find a short Latino man grinning at her mischievously. Dressed in a green t-shirt and jeans, a toolbelt around his waist. His grin grew wider as Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Well, I was the Supreme Commander of the Argo II."
Zoe left her eyebrow up. "I've seen you fly the Argo III Leo. You're the Supreme Commander of spectacular crashes."
"Dios mio, chica. I'll have you know the incident in Indianapolis was Golden Boy's fault, not mine," Leo argued, crossing his arms.
"Give it a couple years," Percy interjected, Reyna close behind. "You'll have to make an Argo IV before long."
Leo grinned at the god. "Perks of immortality. I got all the time in the world." A small tuft of hair caught fire.
Percy smiled at his friend and clasped hands with him. "What are you doing here?"
"Heard you were in the area. You know putting out that much power is not good for us non-gods," said the son of Hephaestus. He licked his thumb and squeezed the fire, putting it out. "Had the whole mountain in a panic."
Percy shrugged. "I'm sure it'll be fine. How's it going in your dad's workshop?"
"Eh, same old same old so it seems. I just got back this morning after hearing you had been found and freed. Heracles is back to the land of the living, in case you didn't know. Wanted a new club made of adamantine," Leo told them. He pulled out scraps of metal from his toolbelt. His fingers danced across the metal, what they were making Zoe couldn't tell. "If I had known becoming your immortal underling would entail dealing with grumpy gods I would have just wished to be left alone."
"You would have come back begging for something to do a week later," Reyna countered him with a smile.
"That's beside the point," Leo argued, pointing accusingly at Reyna. "I could have at least gotten a cool job out of it. Jason gets to be the Pontifex Maximus, Piper and Will get to be Assistant Directors at camp, Hazel gets to run interference with the Amazons, who I am still convinced want me collared, and I get stuck doing trivial orders for minor gods and other immortals."
Reyna rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't give us that. You get to come down all the time to both camps and teach classes. You're the one who wanted to work on all the cool projects with your father. Being stuck building things like Argo ships and whatever mechanical horrors must be Elysium for you."
Leo seemed to consider her point. "Did I give you permission to make a fair point? I guess I shouldn't complain to much. It's a better job than having to deal with all those senators every day. Do you ever regret agreeing to become the Immortal Consul of New Rome?"
The Consul shrugged. "Never. I wouldn't have changed a thing." She looked up at Percy with a grin, who seemed to sense her and met her gaze.
Leo cringed. "Get a room Preyna," he teased them. Zoe watched as her mother and father forced down their blushes. "Now that I think about it, isn't it against the rules to date your boss? Something about special treatment and all that?"
Percy glared at the Latino. "Did he mention any plans?" He redirected the conversation.
"Nah. Though he was surprised when I mentioned your godhood," recalled Leo. His hands put the final touches on his project. "Didn't seem happy about losing his 'Patron of Heroes' status. Man thought he could boss me around because I am still a demigod."
Percy nodded along. "Well I guess I'll keep my ears open on his intentions. No telling the grudge match he is planning." He waved Zoe over who followed his command. "Take care of yourself Leo. And for the love of the gods, take Calypso out somewhere nice. She was complaining to me that you got into one of your ruts before I got captured."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Maybe I'll take her to see the pyramids," Leo waved him off. "Been about a century since we went there. Can you imagine we use to think of them as tombs?" He tossed something to Zoe.
She caught it to find it was a metal swan with a switch on the back. She flicked it and the parts moved and changed into a dragon resembling Festus. The miniature dragon let out a tiny roar and a blast of flames. She flicked the switch again and it turned back into a swan. "Thanks Leo."
He gave her a one finger salute. "Adios amigos. Until next time." Zoe's world was filled with gold.
