Hello. This one was a bit difficult to write since I had to pretty much copy the Odysseus's palace arc from BOO, but this will be a one off thing. After this chapter, the story will have many more original elements, with some seeds already planted as you will be able to notice. It will NOT just be BOO but Nyx. This chapter is the exception. Anyway, see y'all later.
Annabeth found herself paralyzed, incapable of moving a muscle. Her eyes were fixated on the towering presence in front of the Argo II, currently gazing at her and Percy with a crooked smile. The daughter of Athena loathed not being able to think properly, but that was exactly the case right now, with her mind pretty much frying. The darkness that Nyx emanated felt incredibly overwhelming just like it did in the Pit, her eyes yearning to close, her head becoming dizzy and sleepy. But she couldn't show weaknesses now.
She compelled herself to glance over to Percy, and he was just as stressed out by Nyx as she was. He had a hand in his pocket, likely out of instinct, and a mixture of emotions on his face, ranging from determination to affliction. Annabeth meant to look back at Nyx, but instead, she was blinded by a green flash that was just as overwhelming as the dark, not to mention warm. With her eyes slowly situating themselves to the blinding light, Annabeth heard screaming behind her, and watched as a ball of Greek fire collided with the primordial goddess head-on.
Nyx was not anticipating the attack, and due to the sheer power of the Greek Fire cannons, Night lost her balance and fell beyond Annabeth's view. The darkness dispersed just enough for her to regain control of her mind.
"Percy, snap out of it!" She exclaimed at her boyfriend, who looked more awake than she inferred him to be.
"I'm fine." He said after blinking and shaking his head.
"Is that thing gone?!" Annabeth heard Leo shouting. She turned to see the rest of the Seven standing in their sleeping clothes, most of them with weapons in hand, looking awfully exhausted, largely thanks to the gloaming ambiance, Annabeth thought. The exception was the son of Hephaestus, who seemed to be the one most aware of the situation at hand.
Annabeth sprinted in the direction of the other demigods, ignoring Percy's protest as she dragged him by the arm. Her heart pounded fast inside her chest, fear running alongside the blood in her veins.
"She can't be gone like this, it would be too easy," Annabeth said when she, at last, approached the rest of the crew, with the three Romans - along with Piper - still looking like they wished to be anywhere but here.
Of course, it would be…
The voice could be heard from all directions, sending a shiver down Annabeth's spine, who looked frantically in pursuit of the origin, but there was nothing to be found. The darkness thickened around them again, making Annabeth feel like she was under the sky again. There wasn't any pain to this, but it was still challenging to endure.
"Get away from it!" She cried out, and most did, running away from the black mist. Unfortunately, Leo wasn't so fortunate. The son of Hephaestus had a panicked look on his face, and it didn't appear like he was able to move while inside the dark cloud. Said cloud began to penetrate his body through his nose and mouth, reminding Annabeth of what Percy had done to Akhlys, which did not help with calming her down. She tried to take a step forward, but the cloud acted much like a barrier, preventing anyone from getting close to Leo.
"Leo!" Piper called, her voice shaky.
Your pleading won't do anything, child.
Behind the coughing form of Leo, a figure solidified. Nyx wasn't as large as earlier, but that didn't make her any less threatening.
"Let him go!" The daughter of Aphrodite yelled again in desperation. Annabeth couldn't blame her. The daughter of Athena knew too well how a situation like this felt.
Nyx laughed viciously, a laugh that made Annabeth want to either crawl away or kneel and ask for mercy. "I am just teaching a tiny lesson to this ingenious boy. Your Greek Fire weapons are surely a wonder of engineering…" She paused, her luminous eyes inspecting the vessel. "But you should be more cautious when selecting your targets."
With that, the fog vanished abruptly, resulting in Leo falling onto the deck, coughing heavily. Both Piper and Hazel ran in his direction, while Jason and Frank both had their weapons in their hands, although they would likely not be of much use against such a strong being. Nyx paid no mind to any of them, instead gaping directly at Annabeth. She felt Percy holding her hand, but it wasn't enough to comfort her.
"I would have expected you to advise your friends about my visit, Miss Chase. They don't appear very informed on this affair."
The daughter of Athena swallowed as Leo, Jason, Piper, Frank, and Hazel all gaped directly at her.
"Annabeth… what is she talking about?" Jason asked cautiously, peeking back to Nyx every once in a while. The tension in the son of Jupiter's voice was palpable.
"We met her down there. She granted us passage through her realm… and she promised to meet us again if we made out alive." Annabeth explained, not able to look into Thalia's brother's eyes as she spoke.
"And you didn't think about telling any of us about this?!" Jason exclaimed with wide eyes, although he didn't look particularly infuriated, more shocked than anything.
"We didn't think that she would actually do it," Percy interjected, leaping to Annabeth's defense as he always did. Nyx floated in their direction, her black plumage sending waves of darkness in every direction, and while the light had returned a bit since the smoke vanished, the stars were still not visible at all.
"That is surely a blunder on your part." Nyx chuckled, her voice still smooth, but something in that laughter made it seem like it was just as sharp as a blade. Wolf in sheep's clothing. "But I do not come as an enemy." She said to the other five, who all became immediately confused.
"You don't?" Hazel questioned, her voice wary.
"No, child of Pluto, I do not." How Night knew Hazel's ancestry was beyond Annabeth. "It seems that we have converging interests concerning my dear sister." For the first time, Nyx's voice had a hint of roughness to it when mentioning Gaia.
"What was the whole 'suffocating me' thing about, then?" Leo asked, with Piper helping him to stand up, the son of Hephaestus's arm around the daughter of Aphrodite's shoulder.
Once more, Nyx giggled. "As I said earlier, I was simply teaching you manners, Leo Valdez. Be this reckless towards another immortal, and you won't live to see another day." She warned, her eyes locked on Leo's, who quickly nodded without letting out another word.
"What do you seek of us, Lady Night?" Annabeth could detect some charmspeaking in Piper's voice, just enough to paint herself off in a good light, despite the daughter of Aphrodite looking just as panicked as the remainder of the seven.
Nyx at first squinted her eyes. "My informant was not telling an untruth when speaking about your abilities, daughter of Aphrodite."
Piper was taken aback but forced a grin onto her face. "I feel honored to hear that, Lady Night."
"But answering your query…" Nyx continued, ignoring Piper's courtesy. "You, demigods, are the only hope for this pitiful world, against my dearest relatives which shall not be named."
"Names have power." Percy recited the old saying.
"Indeed, Mr. Jackson. They do." Nyx agreed. "That is why we will not speak their names from now on. Now, Miss Chase, where are we going?"
It took Annabeth a moment before she realized Nyx was talking to her. "Ithaca. We're heading to Ithaca. There is a very large gathering of spirits in that area, and we believe they might have information that could help us."
For a moment, Nyx was quiet, staring at Annabeth with eyes that resembled two stars in the night sky. "I see. I will wait patiently for our arrival." The primordial paused, examining the seven demigods. "It appears that my presence may be too much for your mortal minds to endure."
All of a sudden, the darkness intensified, with Annabeth not being able to see anything. She managed to find Percy's hand, which she held firmly. She didn't hear any voices, so she imagined the other five were also waiting for whatever Nyx was doing to be over.
And the end came. This time, the light returned fully, with Annabeth able to see the stars and the moon again. She directed her gaze toward where Nyx previously stood, but found herself stunned by what she saw.
Instead of a large winged figure, stood the shape of a woman, and an incredibly beautiful one at that. Her skin was very pale, almost as white as marble, contrasting with her dark hair and black dress that went all the way to her feet. When she opened her eyes, Annabeth felt light-headed when faced with purple irises that resembled a nebula. Annabeth had seen powerful eyes in the past, but nothing came close to this.
"This should be adequate for all of you," Nyx said, her voice still the same. "Now, tell me, is there a spare room for a goddess on this ship?"
It took all the effort in the world for Annabeth to not facepalm. This was just absurdity.
*
"Almost there, you're doing great."
It was the third time already that the daughter of Aphrodite had assured her disguised boyfriend that he was doing a wonderful job. Nyx failed to see how. He would be much more useful in his actual age than as a geriatric. If Hazel Levesque's magic was so powerful, which, to be fair, it was, then a different disguise could have been arranged.
Instead, the three half-bloods and the primordial walked upwards, all of them disguised in some way. Nyx hated using bright colors, but she tolerated the humiliation of having to use a white maiden's dress, the same one that Annabeth and Piper were using. Meanwhile, Jason Grace was disguised as an old man for some unknown reason. His smell repulsed Night, who at times had to cover her nose. Hecate definitely wasn't lying about the spawn of Pluto.
For Nyx to submit herself to follow the demigods in this small visit to an ancient island, told enough of how committed she was to her own quest. And that encompassed having to walk alongside an elderly sixteen-year-old, his girlfriend, and the individual Night wanted to exploit the most.
Not exploit. Perhaps attract would be a better term.
The son of Jupiter leaned against a cedar tree,
wiping sweat from his forehead. "This was a terrible idea. Hazel's magic is too powerful. If I have to fight, I'll be useless."
"It won't come to that," Annabeth reassured, looking just as uncomfortable as Nyx was in her dress. Despite this, her expression was stern, stoic, and cold. Traits that Nyx particularly appreciated. "We infiltrate the palace, we get the information we need, and we get out."
"Has it been this simple throughout your quest, Miss Chase?" Nyx asked. The three demigods looked between themselves, clearly recalling all sorts of unfortunate moments they had to survive as they journeyed across the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Nyx supposed that the answer was a no.
"It will be fine this time," Piper said, but to Night it just felt like she was attempting to cope with the fact that it wasn't ever this manageable. "We can rest for a second. Take your breath, Jason."
Nyx contained a snort. They were wasting time like this. Who knows what Gaia could be up to at this moment? Not to mention Tartarus. She could only pray to the creator that Hecate would be fine down under. Night heard Jason cursing the island under his breath, which she found sensible. Despite the nice environment around them, the temperature was still incredibly high. All the half-bloods were sweating, the Roman more than the girls. Even as a primordial goddess, the sun didn't pay any favors to her skin.
"I just wish we could just fly up there…" Jason complained. Seemed like he was already being infected by the bitterness of old age. Night hoped Geras wasn't watching this.
Piper placed her amphora on the ground. "We talked about this already, we have to be…"
"Stealthy, I know. But how stealthy are we with…" Jason hesitated, looking at Nyx with caution. "Her alongside us?"
Nyx examined her flawless nails, which she had chosen to paint herself before morning. They now matched her hair color. "You do not have to worry, son of Jupiter. My presence will not disturb your plans. Not yet, with the Mist on our side. Of course, it won't be long before my sister becomes aware of my existence in her domain. Until then, rest assured, everything will be fine."
"Reassuring," Annabeth mumbled.
Jason on the other hand didn't seem too convinced. "Then how do you explain how quiet this hill is? Are we sure this is the right one?" He turned to face Piper.
The daughter of Aphrodite studied the ridgeline around them. "The ruins are up there. Katoptris showed me. And remembered what Hazel said, the biggest…"
"The biggest gathering of evil spirits she ever sensed. So awesome."
Just as Hecate's favorite could, Nyx also sensed the hundreds of spirits currently occupying Odysseus's palace. It all pointed to this place to be the beacon of answers that the demigods needed.
"I hope our disguises hold up," Annabeth said, adjusting her belt. "The suitors were nasty customers when they were alive. If they find out we're demigods…"
"Hazel's magic will work," Piper declared, more to assure herself than as an actual guarantee, Nyx thought. Although Levesque was strong with the Mist, the suitors would be enough of a challenge. Not to mention other potential threats.
They soon resume their match upwards. While they made their way to the palace, Nyx noticed how uneasy Jason looked. Not just because of his old appearance, which made him groan in pain each step of the way, but because of something else. Night wasn't too familiar with the science of the human mind like Lyssa was, but even she could identify that not all was well with the Roman demigod. The Seven had been to the House of Hades less than seventy-two hours ago. A place that would stir up a being's worst traumas and fears. She did not know much about Jason Grace, but if Night had to guess, ghosts were haunting him. And not just metaphorically.
Piper, on the other hand, while not looking as distraught as her lover, still seemed very anxious. The daughter of Aphrodite was constantly messing with a blue feather on her head, perhaps a spoil from a winged monster. She was mostly concerned about her boyfriend, while sometimes keeping an eye on Nyx.
Annabeth wasn't so subtle. She didn't even try to hide the fact that she was always glimpsing at Night, sometimes for long periods. The primordial couldn't imagine what the demigoddess was thinking, but that didn't matter for now. Miss Chase, the name that Nyx preferred to use at the moment, was the wildest of all cards. She came across afraid of the unknown, as all would do, but more than most because of her status as a daughter of wisdom.
But the children of Athena were curious. They craved knowledge, the act of learning being addictive to them. All Nyx had to do was play correctly. Percy, he wasn't dumb, by any means, but for his lover, he would do anything. All Night needed to convince said lover to jump on board with her. The two demigods combined would boost her efforts immensely. Perhaps even win this struggle in the long term.
All Mother Night needed was patience.
"We're almost there, let's –"
Annabeth was rudely interrupted by a large explosion noise that shook the entire hill. It was followed by loud cheering of approval.
"What was that?" Jason asked, his exhausted voice full of worry.
Piper shook her head. "Don't know. But whatever it is, they sound like they are having fun."
As expected, when they finally reached the ruins, the group finally could glance over to the hundreds of ghosts currently partying away. Nyx saw ghosts that resembled Roman Lares, ghouls, and some that even resembled mortals. One of the spirits, one that was surely Antinous, if the arrow sticking out of his throat gave any clues to his identity, walked pompously while holding a statue of what seemed to be Zeus himself.
"Our next offering!" Bellowed the ghoul, his voice sounding weird thanks to the arrow penetrating his Adam's apple. "Let us feed the Earth mother!"
The crowd once more roared positively, with Antinous marching again until he was right next to a fountain. Only for the said fountain to not have any water, with it having instead sand spiraling up. Nyx recognized that type of sand, Gaia's signature. The ghoul threw the bust in the direction of the fountain, and it disintegrated the statue like it was made out of paper. Once more, the mountain shook heavily. Nyx found herself envying Gaia's devotees. It had been too long since sacrifices were made in her name. Particularly living beings.
"Any more statues?" The ghoul called out to the crowd. "No? Then I guess we'll have to wait for some real gods to sacrifice!"
"Who does that guy think he is? He just disintegrated my dad!" Jason said bitterly, his low voice being muffled by the cheering and ovations.
"I'm guessing that's Antinous," said Annabeth, "one of the suitors' leaders. If I remember correctly, it was Odysseus who shot him through the neck with that arrow."
"Good observation, Miss Chase." Nyx acknowledged, and at the same time, she gazed directly at the fountain, her eyes slightly numb.
Piper winced. "You'd think that would keep a guy down. What about all the others? Why are there so many?
"The last spirits to leave through the Doors of Death, most likely." Nyx mused.
"Some are ghouls," Jason said. "The ones with the gaping wounds and the gray skin, like Antinous… I've fought their kind before. They're strong, fast, and intelligent. Also, they eat human flesh."
"Fantastic," Annabeth muttered. "I don't see any option except to stick to the plan. Split up,
infiltrate, and find out why they're here. If things go bad…"
"We do have the backup plan." Piper remembered.
This time, the daughter of Athena was the one to wince. "I was gonna say we at least have one goddess at our side. But I guess the backup plan works too, if we have a death wish."
Nyx had to contain a chuckle when remembering what the backup plan consisted of. While Night and Leo Valdez got off to a rocky start, Night was already respecting the boy's destructive capacities. Eradicating the entire tip of the island in a storm of Greek fire was surely the type of sadist prank Aether would accomplish. She made a mental check note to not discard Leo in the future. His ingenuity could be proven to be very useful.
In fact, all of the Seven had the potential of helping her. But as of the moment, she mostly had eyes for Percy and Annabeth, who were the most scarred and conflicted of all the demigods of the Argo II. The Romans were too loyal to their ideology to evaluate joining her against the gods. Leo and Piper on the other hand weren't as experienced as Percy and Annabeth, but they could be manipulated.
As for Jason, Hecate had said he was much like Percy, and Nyx could see why one would think that, but the discrepancy was too obvious already. He seemed to be the type of person that would sacrifice a loved one for the world. Or even himself.
Night needed a person that would sacrifice the world for someone he loved. Percy Jackson seemed to be the individual right for the job.
With a last warning from the son of Jupiter, the group split up as Annabeth had instructed them to. Nyx quickly found herself in the middle of the uproar, trying not to feel disgusted when facing these long-dead pigs, for the lack of a better term that would truly show how uncomfortable she was.
Mostly because she was earning a lot of attention. Expected, really, but it wasn't just because of her body, or good looks. Her eyes were the reason for the glances of every ghost that caught a glimpse of her. For the sake of the mission, she decided not to send these ghosts back to Erebus, not just yet.
Nyx blinked when she realized the name she had just mentioned in her thoughts. Cursing quietly, she decided to bring her attention to what the demigods were doing. Annabeth and Piper were casually walking around, although the latter seemed much more comfortable than the former. While Jason… What was he doing at Antinous's table?
"I'm sure we didn't mean to question your credentials!" Nyx heard the ghoul say. For some reason, Jason now looked different than before. "It's just, well, if you've spoken with Porphyrion in Athens, you know why we're here. I assure you, we're doing exactly as he ordered!'
The cogs span inside the primordial's mind. If the giants were in Athens, that could only mean that…
"The Acropolis," Jason quickly came to the same conclusion as Nyx. "The most ancient temples to the gods, in the middle of Athens. That's where Gaia will wake."
"Of course!" A bald ghoul that could only be Eurymachus laughed. ''And, to get there, those meddlesome demigods will have to travel by sea, eh? They know it's too dangerous to fly over land."
"Which means they'll have to pass this island," Jason said.
Eurymachus nodded eagerly. He removed his arm from Jason's shoulders and dipped his finger in his wine glass. "At that point, they'll have to make a choice, eh?"
With his finger covered in wine, he began to slide it over the surface of the table. Nyx couldn't see what he was drawing, but it had gotten Jason's attention.
"The most direct route," Eurymachus said, "would be due east from here, across the Straits of Corinth. But if they try to go that way –"
"Enough," Antinous interrupted. "'You have a loose tongue, Eurymachus."
The ghost looked offended. "I wasn't going to tell him everything! Just about the Cyclopes' armies massed on either shore. And the raging storm spirits in the air. And those vicious sea monsters Keto sent to infest the waters. And of course, if the ship got as far as Delphi –"
"Idiot!" Antinous lunged across the table and grabbed the ghost's wrist. A thin crust of dirt spread from the ghoul's hand, straight up Eurymachus's spectral arm.
"No!" Eurymachus yelped. "Please! I – I only meant –"
The ghost shrieked as the dirt covered his body like a shell, then cracked apart, leaving nothing
but a pile of dust. Eurymachus was gone. After that demonstration of power, Nyx's attention drifted off from the conversation, and she went back to walking around the tables, her mind running fast.
Night wasn't much of a tactician, but she could be called a strategist. With her power, no armies or bands of monsters would be a threat to the Argo II. They could easily reach the Acropolis days before the Feast of Hope. Defeat the Giants there, and prevent catastrophe.
However… prophecies didn't work like that. If there was one thing the entire family agreed on, it was that Chaos had given Ananke too much power. And even if the Fates were friendlier to Nyx than what her sister had been, that wouldn't change their ruthlessness when weaving the future. If Night knew anything about this darn world, was that no matter what they did, Gaia would wake up on the 1st of August. It was just a matter of what happened after that.
There was another fuss at the main table, and Nyx had to hold back a snort when she noticed a blonde teenage boy sitting where the old man previously stood. Somehow, Jason's disguise had faded, and he was looking with horror and astonishment at a feminine ghost, one that Night immediately knew was a mania. By the way the son of Jupiter reacted to the spirit, it ought to be an important person to him. Perhaps a relative? His mother. She didn't know.
What she knew was that she needed to have a conversation with a certain someone. She made an effort to reach out to the goddess she was looking for, and eventually, there was a signal.
Mom?
Nyx immediately knew something was up with Lyssa's voice. Instead of the usual crazy tone she used, now there was fear present in her voice. Something was up. Not to mention the 'mom' treatment. "Lyssa, may I know why Gaia has recruited maniae to her ranks?" She asked telepathically.
For a second, there was quietness. I don't know what you're talking about.
Nyx contained a scowl. "Come to me in three hours. We need to talk."
Again, more silence. Night cut the connection, diverting her attention to the main table, where Jason was still confronting the mania. While Night was hardly paying much attention, the tension was very intense in the palace, every other spirit watching over the main table. Both Piper and Annabeth stood on high alert, their weapons in hands.
"No," Nyx heard Jason say, while he glanced at Annabeth and Piper momentarily, along with a sneaky look in her direction, before once more staring at the ghost. "My loyalties haven't changed. My family has just expanded. I'm a child of Greece and Rome. I'm no child of yours."
He made the ancient sign of warding off evil – three fingers thrust out from the heart – and the ghost of what was most likely the mother of Jason Grace disappeared with a hiss.
Nyx felt very amused and puzzled by that interaction. But at the same time… this showed a lot about who Jason was. Predictable, but effective.
He could have his uses.
"Well then," Antinous spoke after a prolonged pause. "I suppose we'll just kill you."
What followed next was nothing less than a bloodbath. Not that there was any blood coming from these undeads. Jason immediately slashed his gladius, vaporizing all the spirits foolish enough to be near him. Nyx watched in admiration as he jumped above the table, turning his sword into a javelin mid-air. When the son of Jupiter landed, he stabbed Antinous with precision, with the suitor being sent back to the Fields of Punishment seconds after the hit.
And it wasn't just Jason who knew what he was doing. Across the fountain, Annabeth fought with mastery, the drakon-bone sword being just as sharp as Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold. The girl was clearly not just brains, but brawn as well. Truly the daughter of the goddess of war, Night thought.
As for Piper, she wasn't doing too bad either. Having a celestial bronze sword in her right hand, and the Cornucopia in her left. It truly was a sight to see, the food summoning artifact being used for battle. The daughter of Aphrodite even used charmspeaking against her enemies, in order to confuse them. Overall, Nyx herself barely had to do anything. Any spirit that dared to approach her was gone with a thought. Beings like this were beyond her. And without anything holding Night back, she had every right to use her powers.
But she let the demigods have their fun.
Soon, the enemy's numbers started to dwindle. But Nyx sensed something wrong. From afar, she saw Jason foolishly sheathing his sword. Not even one second later, Night saw a ghost with a purple shirt and a legionary helmet stabbing Jason all the way through his abdomen, with a gladius that was much like the one the son of Jupiter possessed.
It wasn't long until the blue eyed demigod fell to his knees, with Piper screaming as she noticed what had happened. Nyx scowled, and with a flicker of her hand, the ghost disintegrated. Night floated towards the fallen Roman, but Piper was the one to reach him first, immediately working on Jason's wound, removing the gladius from his stomach and working on making the bleeding stop. Piper asked for ambrosia for Annabeth, who had a nasty cut in her neck. Thankfully, it didn't seem to have hit any arteries or veins.
"We have to stop the bleeding." Piper used her dagger to cut fabric from the bottom of her dress, ripping the cloth into bandages, wrapping the wounds on his back and stomach while Annabeth pushed tiny bites of ambrosia into his mouth.
Night noticed how nervous Annabeth looked in contrast to Piper. Of course, the latter couldn't afford to lose her lover, which explained the lack of panic. Nyx had to admit, the daughter of Aphrodite was very strong minded.
"Jason, I – I'm sorry. About your mom. But the way you handled it… that was so brave." Annabeth acknowledged as she fed the son of Jupiter another bite of the godly food.
"It wasn't her," he said. "At least, no part of her I could save. There was no other choice."
Annabeth took a shaky breath. "No other right choice, maybe, but… a friend of mine, Luke. His mom… similar problem. He didn't handle it as well."
Her voice broke. Luke. Luke Castellan? That name rang some bells. She had been told this was the boy that hosted the spirit of Kronos. To know he had some relation with Annabeth…
Interesting.
"I've bandaged as much as I can," Piper announced. "Blood is still soaking through. And the smoke. I don't get that."
"Imperial gold,' Annabeth said, her voice quavering. "It's deadly to demigods. It's only a matter of time before –'
"He'll be alright," Piper insisted. "We've got to get him back to the ship."
"I don't feel that bad," Jason said, and all heads were turned towards him. "Maybe I could fly…''
"Do not try it." Nyx finally advised. "It is merely the ambrosia giving you a false sense of security. Stay put, Jason Grace."
With a fearful look towards her, Jason weakly nodded and didn't move again. Piper, on the other hand, turned her head abruptly to glance at the primordial, like she just remembered Nyx was present. Her focused eyes betrayed desperation. "Please, heal him, You're above even the Olympians. That has to mean something, right?"
"There are things not even immortals can heal." Nyx said solemnly, getting closer to Jason. "What I can do is to make him not perish now. But survival depends solely on his own will to live."
"I'm trying my best here…" Night heard Jason mumble under his breath.
"Then do it, whatever you can. Please." The words from Piper were sincere, not any sign of charmspeak in her voice. Nyx stared at the spawn of Aphrodite for an extra second before closing her nebula-like eyes, chanting in the ancient language of her family, the one spoken prior to even the Titans and Gods. A dark smoke began to encompass the son of Jupiter, who was still awoken, just too weak to speak. After some moments, Nyx stopped chanting, and Jason let out a gasp. The wound was now filled by a completely black matter, that for an unbeknownst spectator, would seem rotten.
"That was intense." Jason muttered, his breathing pattern returning to a normal pace.
"What was that?" Annabeth inquired, her gray skeptical of the primordial, but Night could notice lots of curiosity in them.
"Darkness can do much more than just bring fear to one's heart." Nyx explained vaguely. "Combine it with some magic, and there's little you can't do."
"Unfortunately not everything…" Piper mumbled. "We should call the Argo II."
"It won't be necessary." Nyx reassured, ignoring the daughter of Aphrodite's sarcasm. "Jason can be brought to safety by myself."
"Wait," The son of Jupiter called. "We need… answers." He said with difficulty. "There was a bed, a sacred bed…"
"Jason, you lost a lot of blood…." Piper tried to discourage his pleading, probably thinking he was imagining things.
"He is not lying." Nyx interrupted. "If you deem it to be necessary, sky spawn, then go ahead."
Jason nodded and took a deep breath before calling the name of the goddess of marriage. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, about sixty feet away, the stone floor cracked. Branches muscled through the earth, growing in fast motion until a full-sized olive tree shaded the courtyard. Under a canopy of gray-green leaves stood a dark-haired woman in a white dress, a leopard-skin cape over her shoulders, and holding a staff that was decorated with a lotus flower on top of it.
"My her…" Immediately the calm and composed facade fell, with Juno's brown eyes becoming filled with shock as she set her gaze on Nyx. "You?"
Night grinned. "Don't mind me. I'm simply aiding these demigods in their fight. Is that concerning to you, Juno?"
The queen of Olympus squinted her eyes. "Whatever you seek, be aware you won't get it."
"The only thing I'm seeking is coincidentally what your council also seeks. The destruction of my sister." Nyx floated around the three demigods, who were having a hard time deciding who they should look at.
"I'm sure our bovine majesty will play along with you, Lady Nyx." Annabeth said in a way that truly surprised the primordial. Did the girl have a death wish?
Juno's form flickered. Nyx could see that the Olympian was fuming. "Oh, Annabeth Chase, I long for the day you will outlive your usefulness."
"I can safely say that nothing will happen when she lacks use to you." Nyx proclaimed in a way that was blatantly laying out her intentions. Even Juno noticed, but what could she do? Clearly she and Annabeth had some sort of quarrel, and Nyx was eager to exploit this.
"Whoa," Jason tried to get up, but Piper didn't let him. Despite this, he continued. "Juno, we need your advice. What should we do next?"
"Of course, my dear." Juno growled in a possessive manner, as to show to Nyx that Jason was her's. "Sail around the Peloponnese, "said the goddess. "As you suspect, that is the only possible route. On your way, seek out the goddess of victory in Olympia. She is out of control. Unless you can subdue her, the rift between Greek and Roman can never be healed."
"You mean Nike?" Annabeth asked. "How is she out of control?"
Thunder boomed overhead, shaking the hill.
"Explaining would take too long," Juno said. "I must flee before Jupiter finds me. Once I leave, I
will not be able to help you again."
Judging by the faces the three half-bloods made, Nyx doubted Juno had given them much support throughout their quest.
"What else should we know?" Jason asked.
"As you heard, the giants have gathered in Athens. Few gods will be able to help you on your
journey, but I am not the only Olympian who is out of favor with Jupiter. The twins have also
incurred his wrath."
"Artemis and Apollo?" Piper asked. "Why?"
Juno's image began to fade. "If you reach the island of Delos, they might be prepared to help you. They are desperate enough to try anything to make amends. Go now. Perhaps we will meet again in Athens, if you succeed…"
"Rest assured we will." Nyx provoked with a smile. Juno squinted her eyes with anger before she was gone, the olive tree retreating back to the ground.
"Should we go back to the ship?" Annabeth asked after a hefty silence.
Mother Night nodded. "Indeed. I hope you all don't mind shadow travel."
All three demigods grimaced at the prospect. Jason promptly followed his distaste for the idea by passing out on the spot.