Chapter 65

When In Doubt, Run Away

"But you aren't a girl!" I said, like an intelligent human being.

Victoria snorted. "You've got him there."

She was taking this a lot calmer than I was. Then again, she'd been with Po for the entire tournament. There was no way she hadn't forced these answers out of him already.

"I can be what I want," Po said, who had hopped off the chariot and started to pace. "Tiresias changed gender just by hitting snakes, and they were only a mortal. For most spirits it's a preference, not a barrier."

As he spoke his voice got higher. His body changed shape, becoming more feminine. The changes reversed just as quickly, but he'd proven his point.

"So… Why?" I asked.

"Clarification!" Po spun, jabbing a finger at me. "Why what?"

"Well, why bother making the change?"

"Because the coolest shinobi are all men," Po said.

"Cool. So… why a shinobi?"

"Because shinobi live," he said.

"And Proioxis don't?"

"No," Po said firmly. "They don't."

He'd introduced himself as the eighth. That was a good few more than I had counted.

"Is that why there's only five… er, four of them," I said with a wince, remembering the one I'd dissolved into smoke in the first round. It was self-defense, but still.

"That wasn't your fault," Po said. He must've watched it on the replays. Ouch. "That's simply the way they are. The way they've always been. They'll charge and charge until every last one has been wiped out, and I failed to fix them."

Victoria patted his foot sympathetically. "It's not your fault if they didn't listen. Trust me, family can be real morons."

Except Po shook his head. "You don't get it. I was the one they all looked up to— if there was anybody that could've convinced them, it was me."

A memory popped up from my first run-in with the spirits. Their claim to fame was that one appeared on Hercules' shield. When I asked if it was their leader, they blew their tops and tried even harder to eviscerate me.

"It was you," I said. "You're the Proioxis that everyone knows from the shield. You were their leader."

"I was the first into battle," Po said. "I was the oldest, the one that rushed out of the womb fastest, and the others followed me for it. I decided when to charge, and when to retreat. Only I never retreated. I led us into battle again and again, like the world was at our mercy. The others loved it. I did too. But we weren't invincible, it only felt that way."

Po shivered, hugging his arms to his torso. His voice fluctuated between male and female as his old form peeked out.

"The first time we lost one, I couldn't believe it. The image is still in my mind, her body broken on the ground. It could've been me. It could've been any of us. I couldn't handle it, so I ran."

Po looked up. His usual voice solidified. "The next time I saw the others, it was over. I'd understood it by then. That the way we did things was wrong. We needed to look at the future, beyond whatever our next fight was! But it was too late. They'd seen me run. From that moment on, there was nothing I could say to them. So, I did what I knew I was good at. I kept running. I hid myself, and they didn't look for me. Only when I found the path of the shinobi did I feel like I had purpose again. I was ready to take on anything! Only, I didn't count on that including my siblings. I can't fight them."

It was the most words I'd ever heard out of Po. It all made sense, too. Not just his motivations, but his identity as a Proioxis. The way he moved inconsistently, sometimes fast and sometimes slow; his sense in battle, but clumsiness with his knives.

A clock chimed through the room.

"Five-minute warning," Marlon said. He'd spent the time Po told the story moving his hands over the chariot. Woodland magic activated in their wake, reknitting roots and healing the goats' injuries. "Are you quite finished bothering my team?"

"Not quite," I said. "Hang on a little longer."

He grumbled, but didn't chase me off. I turned back to Po.

"You have to fight them," I said.

He shook his head. "I can't."

"There's no other choice if you want them to listen to you."

He stared at me, quiet for long enough that five minutes dwindled to four. "Explain."

"You said you lost their trust when you ran. They think that they're better than you now. They'll never listen like this. But if you beat them here, they won't have a choice. Prove them wrong."

Annabeth was glaring at me across the room. When she saw me look, she tapped a nonexistent watch on her wrist. Get your butt over here, now.

"Look, I gotta go." I started backing away. "But you can do it. I'm telling you, you really can. I've seen you in action! They don't want to listen to you? Make them."

I turned and ran across the room, leaving too abruptly to tell if my pep talk worked. We'd find out soon enough. Instead, I'd focus on doing what I promised.

Kelli and Mark were watching me, and I stared back as I jogged. Good. I wanted their attention. It would only make this easier.

Time to get even.

Under a sun that couldn't quite keep the arid desert warm, with a monstrous canyon just to the right, four chariots sat in a row for the second time that day.

"Hey, Percy!" Mark said. "Isn't it—"

"Shut up," I said.

He blinked. "I'm just saying—"

"I still hear your voice. Make it stop."

Before he could answer a starter pistol sounded. Kelli whipped the reins, and their chariot shot forward.

We stayed at the start line. Teams were staggered by where they finished in the first half. Hecate's team zoomed off, neck and neck with the Proioxis.

That left us and Marlon's team. I looked across at Po, but couldn't decipher his expression under his ski mask. Before I knew it, it was our turn. The pegasi rushed forward, and we began the chase to catch the frontrunners.

Annabeth started by guiding us right, until we rode straight into the canyon.

Hygeia had been right. The Grand Canyon was the site of the second leg, and the National Park was different from anything I'd ever seen. It was big enough to look like Zeus used the desert as target practice for his Master Bolt, the bottom far enough down to make the Colorado River seem like a creek.

We soared above it, our flight stable again. Annabeth and Hygeia had used the break to redistribute the harnesses and balance the weight for three horses instead of four. On strong winds, we were slowly closing the gap to the two chariots in the lead.

It helped that they weren't satisfied with racing. Like Annabeth predicted, the teams with rival patrons got violent as soon as they were left alone.

The Proioxis battered their chariot into the Hecate's team's, and one lunged over the gap to swing her sword in brutal arcs. Mark had to duck to avoid more than a haircut. Mormo tried to bite one golden stallion, but Nike's horse was fast and wily enough to get out of the way. The chariots separated, only to crash together again a few seconds later. Every exchange slowed them down.

When we were close enough to hear the clangs of a sword against a machete, Annabeth shouted to me over the wind.

"Percy! Now!"

I didn't hesitate.

A hundred feet of earth fell away, right in the chariots' paths.

There was no warning. Hecate's team climbed awkwardly into the air, while the Proioxis banked left hard, nearly tipping over.

I kept the landslide going a bit longer, forcing the grounded chariot further out of their way. Hopefully that would be enough to help Po and Victoria catch up. Then I turned my attention to Kelli and Mark.

I clenched a fist and water answered.

It was the same trick I pulled in Indiana. Only this time, instead of a flat brown stream it was the Colorado in all its glory.

It took time for the water to arrive, another reminder of how high up we were. But once it did, there was no missing it. The geyser struck with enough force to concuss a titan. I thought that was it, job done, until the chariot steamed out the other side with hardly any damage.

This time, I spotted how they did it. The instant before being washed away the chariot turned to smoke, riders included, and shifted slightly forward. It was super short-range teleportation, specialized for avoiding damage.

Kelli glanced at me. She said something and gestured, although it was all too far for me to see the motion. Symbols glowed on the sides of their chariot. Suddenly wind blasted out, buffeting our pegasi as a spell pushed us further behind.

I wasn't worried. The river came by for a second pass.

They dodged the same as the first time, but as soon as the teleport activated the wind stopped. Kelli gestured again, and this time flames flashed toward us, but more water intercepted them, forcing Hecate's team into yet another teleport.

"Get us close!" I yelled to Annabeth. "Don't worry about the water! It'll protect us!"

She didn't ask questions. We sped up and came closer, then closer, then closer still. Kelli didn't even have time to activate magic defenses anymore. I kept the water after them relentlessly, refusing to give time for anything else.

When we were near enough to hear her hissed curses, I did something crazy. In one motion, I stepped onto the wall of our chariot box and jumped.

Freefall is scary— to anyone, I mean, because falling to your death isn't fun, but it's especially scary to a son of the Sea God. Old brotherly rivalries and an uncle who blasts anything he doesn't like out of his domain will do that. My solution was simple:

Don't look down.

So I didn't. I flew over the gap, Anthea turning to Anfisa, and landed with a thud straight between Kelli and Mark.

"What the—!"

Mark didn't finish his sentence before I'd socked him in the mouth. He stumbled back, foot slipping over the edge, and plummeted off the side with a shriek. If he'd followed my advice from the start of the race, he might have seen it coming.

I ducked a wicked pair of claws. Kelli hissed at me, her demonic features on full display as her hair flared completely into fire. Good signs that I'd gotten under her skin.

Even distracted by trying to steer, a thousand-year-old livid Empousa was a serious threat. Fortunately, I didn't plan on sticking around to fight.

Feinting like I wanted to strike her, I severed one side of the reins. Then I did a trust fall, dropping backward off the chariot.

Before I'd fallen more than a few feet, river water wrapped around me like a cocoon. One more thought, and suddenly I was being propelled through the air like a struck baseball.

For an improvised plan, the aim wasn't too bad. I missed the floor of our chariot, but came close enough to snag the rim with a hand and haul myself up.

The whole thing happened so fast that Mark was still in the air.

"Better catch him!" I yelled. "No point in a duo with only one member!"

Kelli's hair burned brighter, making her look a whole lot like a stove burner. Then she yanked the reins. The chariot turned straight down, bulleting after Mark's falling form.

They really were fast. With gravity at their backs, Kelli and Mormo actually caught up with the screaming mortal. She reached out, snagged him by the ankle, and hauled him roughly out of freefall before leveling out their path.

That was the plan, at least, if I hadn't been waiting for exactly that.

The instant she grabbed Mark, all the water in the air cannoned into their chariot. There was no way to teleport unless she was willing to abandon her partner.

As they disappeared beneath the mid-air flood, I could hear Kelli's garbled wail across the entire distance.

Then I heard something else. A roar even more inhuman than the Empousa's. A black bullet fired out of the water.

Mormo was faster than I'd given her credit for. Her head covered thousands of feet so fast, I struggled to twist and intercept her. But she wasn't going for me.

For a blood-chilling moment I was sure we were about to lose another pegasus, until—

CRACK!

The impact sounded like a revolver shot. By the time my eyes caught up Mormo was reeling, black blood leaking from her forehead as her head wobbled in the air. Blackjack's back hoof was still up from delivering the single, pinpoint kick.

Mormo's eyes rolled back in her head, and her extended neck started the six-thousand-foot fall to the canyon floor.

Slink back to Tartarus, Fake Horse! Blackjack yelled. That's how real pegasi do it!

The realization settled slowly. We were in the lead.

I twisted around to check, just in case, which was when I caught sight of them. The Proixis were at least a hundred feet back, and they weren't alone. Victoria and Po caught up.

We were too far to make out details, but what I could see made my heart soar.

Po was taking it to them.

Somehow, he'd gotten a hold of one of the Proioxis swords. He was great with it. Way back, the first time I sparred with him, I'd noticed that his battle reflexes were awesome. The only thing that held him back were his weapons, knives that he didn't have the fundamentals for. That problem was a thing of the past now.

Every time he traded blows with his sibling he was just a little bit faster. A touch more skilled. Each exchange ended with him taking a chip out of the enemy chariot, or leaving a fresh cut on the opponent.

I could see the Proioxis getting frustrated. They were shouting at each other. They steered away to change places, the one with the reins handing them off to take a turn fighting. Po didn't say anything to them. He stoically pushed them back.

You could spot the change as soon as it happened. Just as the glowing thread leading us down the canyon hit its brightest, signaling that the finish line was close, The Proioxis switched tactics.

They smashed their chariot into my friends', forcing both of them to the right.

Po was still going. They couldn't touch him. He disarmed his sister, leaving her defenseless. But it didn't matter anymore. Both flightless chariots were careening for the drop.

They were shouting at each other— Po and his siblings. We were too far off to hear what they were saying, but I saw them gesturing. The Proioxis said something, then spurred their horses faster in a gesture that was impossible to miss. They didn't care if they died, so long as Po did too.

Victoria said something to Po, and they traded nods. Suddenly, sheturned the chariot sharply.

They rode a completely new direction, directly away from the finish line.

The Proioxis shrieked, and this time it was so loud I could hear the shrill sound over the wind. Instead of finishing the race they turned too, away from the deadly drop, chasing Po.

I watched as two teams, half of the race, accelerated the complete wrong direction. Without another team anywhere close, Annabeth and I crossed the finish line. An uncontested victory.

We reappeared back in the opening ceremony room. The empty lion cage had been taken out. In its place, seating had been set up for the patrons, three titanic glowing screens displaying simultaneous races. Every patron sat on a miniature throne with one exception. Hygeia was dancing in front of all the others, cackling.

"Did you see that flying? Did you see those moves? I bet you thought they were nothing, didn't you? Well you can all suck on that! Suck it!"

She opened her mouth to keep going, before catching sight of us in the corner of her eye. She froze. Very slowly, she lowered her arms to her sides, pink dusting her cheeks.

"I… see you're back," she said. "You did pretty good. I guess."

"Thanks," I said. "Glad to hear it."

A good few patrons were scowling at Hygeia for her display, but more were gazing at us with respect. More still were watching the screens. We were the first here, the winners of the event, but five spots were still up for grabs.

Hygeia sent our horses and chariot away with a gesture before leading us to her throne, which turned out to be a simple wooden chair without any extra features. She sat, and we took up positions either side of her. It was our first chance to get a look at the other heats.

One showed a steep peak, two chariots racing up a narrow path surrounded by snow banks. In the lead were Thalia and Bianca, Nera and Kai just behind them.

Bianca was driving while Thalia fired lightning bolts backward with her spear. Every thirty seconds or so Bianca would yank the reins, steering the chariot into the sky, and whenever she did Thalia would stop shooting and cling to the chariot siding. Thalia would shout something, Bianca would land the chariot again, laughing, and then the whole process would repeat all over again.

Soon they crossed the finish, appearing in the throne room out of mist just like we had. Nera and Kai arrived the same way a moment later. That left only our heat and the third one.

The third heat was strange. It showed a gorgeous valley filled with stunning waterfalls and massive walls of granite. There was just one problem. I couldn't see any chariots.

"Where are the racers?" I asked.

"Racer," Hygeia corrected.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Even if one duo had wiped out all the others, there should still be two of them.

Instead of answering, Hygeia pointed.

A tremor ran through the trees in the valley, and a muted roar shook the screen.

"What was that?" Annabeth asked.

I didn't answer. I knew, and the realization felt like being strapped to a rollercoaster car barreling for broken tracks.

Something huge, long, and scaly erupted from the trees. It raced along the ground, roaring and snapping desperately at the air in front of its humongous, serpentine jaws.

"The Colchian Dragon," Annabeth breathed. "It's here?"

"That's what it is?" I asked. I'd heard of the monster— Jason's final test to claim the Golden Fleece. I just hadn't been worrying about exactly which dragon wanted to eat me while trying to stay off its menu.

Annabeth turned to me, nodding. "I'd recognize it anywhere. There are only a handful of monsters out there that were never defeated. That's one."

That didn't make me feel any better about ending up in front of its fangs for a second time.

"How is it still in the race?" Annabeth wondered, looking back at the screen. "What's stopping it from getting lost? Or just leaving? That monster couldn't care less about the Nemean Lion pelt."

I watched the way it kept biting the air, flattening trees and scattering hikers as it steamed past. Memories of our own race popped up. A thread had guided us in the right direction. A golden thread.

"It's obsessed with gold," I said. "Anything that color drives it crazy— Magic fleeces, faded hoodies, threads of magic…"

"Agon didn't pick gold because it's his favorite color," Hygeia said. "Although, it is."

"But what about the other rounds?" Annabeth objected. "A dragon can't do trivia!"

"It advanced by default," Hygeia said. "After killing every single duo pitted against it. And crushing all the proctors."

I froze. Conversation went on, but everything felt suddenly quiet. Images of error messages and blacked-out TV stations swirled through my head. The results hadn't been displayed because there were no results, only a terrible monster and a lot of victims.

Angelo and Lulu were in that heat. Everyone in that heat was dead. \

Angelo and Lulu were dead.

Just like that.

I couldn't process it, not really, so I just kept on standing there, lost in my own world until Annabeth called my name.

"Percy?" she asked. "Are you okay? You look pale."

"I knew two people in that heat," I said.

Hygeia took her eyes off the screen, meeting mine.

"My condolences," she said.

I shut my eyes. "Gods..."

The dragon crossed the finish line and disappeared, but didn't appear in the room. Off-handed comments from Agon about a competitor that wouldn't behave were starting to make sense in a sickening sort of way.

A second later a team did appear, and the entire room stopped to stare.

Hecate's beautiful chariot was cracked nearly in half. Chunks were missing along both sides. Mark was sprawled in the back, pale and breathing hard. One wheel was missing entirely while the other leaned at the wrong angle on its spoke. Mormo was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the leather harness across her chest like a Girl Scout sash, was none other than Kelli.

Her clothes had been soaked and shredded. Her whole bronze leg was out, squeaking every time she bent the knee, and her dark curly hair hung in wet strands. When she saw everyone staring, she bared her teeth.

"Don't look at me!" she spat. "I'll kill you! I'll—"

From her throne, Hecate pressed a finger to her lips. Kelli's voice disappeared even as her lips continued to move. Eventually, under a stern look from the goddess, the Empousa shut her mouth, hauling Mark over and dropping him next to Hecate's throne.

"Well," Agon said, "that's all the guests of honor. I guess it's time we collected the stragglers."

His throne was still on the raised pedestal, letting him look down on the rest of the assembled gods. He did a lot of that. His Theoroi were arrayed at the base, positioned between us and him.

A moment later four new teams appeared, some in better shape than others. I didn't recognize the two from Thalia and Bianca's heat, but Po and Victoria appeared right next to the Proioxis. Both teams had to pump the brakes to keep from careening into the audience.

My friends dismounted quickly, rushing toward Marlon before the Proioxis got any ideas about continuing things.

They didn't make it far. A tall, golden-haired woman stood in their way.

"Hi, mom," Victoria said. "Long time no see."

"Out of the way," Nike said.

Victoria stepped sideways with an exaggerated flourish of her arms. Nike walked right past, but not before giving her a disdainful glare.

"Mistress—" one of the Proioxis started to say.

Smack!

I winced at the noise from the slap. The Proioxis stood frozen, her head turned to the side, cheek red and throbbing. The other stepped forward and opened her mouth, but a second slap stopped her before she could speak.

Nike didn't stop. She landed brutal blows on them one after another. Somehow the Proioxis took it standing. They never stepped back.

"Never, EVER, have I been so embarrassed!" Nike shouted. "Suffer! Die! There is nothing I hate more than creatures like you!"

An uncomfortable feeling curdled in my stomach. Even if the Proioxis tried to kill us, watching a beating like this felt wrong.

Around the room, the other patrons were smiling. Almost all of them, even ones who just watched their racers lose or die, were admiring the show. One told a joke, and the others around him threw their heads back laughing. They wouldn't stop this even if the Proioxis died on the spot. It was all entertainment to them, the same as the race.

Somebody caught Nike's wrist.

All chatter stopped. The room went silent.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nike asked dangerously.

"Don't you think you've hit them enough?" Po asked, looking up from beside her.

The hold holding the goddess's wrist began to steam, but Po refused to let go.

"I'm the one who decides such things," Nike said. "Not any two-bit spirits who feel like interjecting over how I deal with losers."

"Funny you should say that," Victoria said.

Nike's lips curled. "Speaking of losers…"

Victoria hadn't moved since Nike brushed her aside, but now she walked back toward her mother. "You know," she said, "for a supposed sponsor, you sure ditched responsibility pretty fast."

"Of all people, you have no right to lecture me," Nike said. But in a way it was working, because she turned away from the Proioxis.

"Yeah, that's me," Victoria said, coming to a stop just in front of Nike. "Your shameful, loser daughter. I should have business cards made. Refuses to stab friends. Very stupid."

Nike sneered. "Do not take that tone with me, girl! Your old failures have nothing on today. My own daughter, racing the wrong direction! I've half a mind to crawl into Tartarus out of shame."

"I did what I had to do," Victoria said.

"By making an utter fool of yourself?"

"By prioritizing the people around me."

"Over winning?"

"Look around. This is winning," Victoria said. "That's your problem! You never could see that!"

"Are you trying to say that you know what winning is, and I do not?" Nike demanded.

"Maybe I am," Victoria said. "Maybe I'm calling you a loser."

Nike's eyes lit like furnaces. The medals around her neck started to rattle and clink together.

"Fool girl!" Hygeia hissed. "Why did you say that? Oooh, now you've gone and done it."

"This is what participation trophies have done to this generation," Nike said. "They think they can get away with losing, and not suffer the consequences. Grit your teeth, daughter. It's high time you were disciplined."

She raised her hand to deliver a blow, this time with a clenched fist. Again, Poe caught her wrist. Nike stared at his hand, studying it like a wall of foreign text.

"I see," she said, voice deceptively calm. "You want to die, then."

I didn't think. I saw the way her form was shimmering and I took off at a sprint.

"Percy!" Annabeth called behind me. I didn't listen. I didn't look back. I knew what I was doing might seem stupid, but I'd lost two friends today. I couldn't sit back and lose two more.

Anfisa formed as I vaulted a minor god's throne. A split-second after landing on the other side, my feet leave the ground again.

It took every ounce of my battle reflexes to recognize what was happening. One of the Theoroi was in my way. I hadn't seen him move. With one arm he'd hoisted me straight off the ground by the collar of my shirt, and his shoulder was shifting to throw.

Anfisa whizzed in a bronze arc, slicing my shirt apart between the Theoroi's hand and my chest. His shifting features widened in shock. But he reacted fast, slamming me in the stomach with his other hand while I brought Anfisa around in a deadly slash for his head.

I flew. Let me tell you, I'd met giants that didn't pack as much of a punch as this guy, and he was barely taller than I was. I crashed over a throne made of rock and landed in a crouch, ready for round two.

The Theoroi hadn't followed me. He was pressing two fingers to a cut on his face— a face that wasn't shifting anymore. Anfisa had cut away his mist disguise like paper.

What was left was a head of dark, uncontrollable curls and a strong, blocky, handsome face. Other than the cut on his cheek bleeding silver liquid instead of blood, he looked like a perfectly regular high school jock. Then he looked up, and my heart missed a beat. His eyes were the exact same shade of green as mine.

Some sort of decision made, he lowered his hand and took a step toward me, only for an arrow to whistle at his head. When he bent out of its path, three more flew at his new position, forcing him to roll away.

"Driving was boring," Bianca said, bow raised. "I'm so happy you volunteered for target practice."

I barely spotted the arrow that fired toward her head, but somebody else did. Aegis bared its horrible face and the projectile pinged off Medusa's forehead.

"If anyone's going to be stabbing her, it's going to be me," Thalia growled, blue eyes glistening with voltage.

The tallest of the Theoroi, the one that always carried a bow, made a gesture. The rest of his friends charged. Two rushed to Nike, two toward Thalia and Bianca, and three toward me. Hygeia stood up. Annabeth appeared at my side brandishing her sword. Nike had gotten free from Po. She'd pulled an oversized victory baton from somewhere, swinging it like a mace at the shinobi who was barely dodging. Patrons were yelling. The Theoroi with green eyes was stalking toward me. Somebody screamed, "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

A projectile hit me in the side of the head. Not an arrow, thank the gods, but it still hurt. Whatever it was was heavy, but soft. Like a pillow stuffed with lead.

Pulling it off my ear, I found a long gold-brown duster in my hands. I recognized it immediately. The Nemean Lion's pelt.

In the sudden silence, Agon surveyed the room. Then he leaped off the podium and landed on the floor with a thud.

"Take a deep breath," he said. "C'mon, relax! We're all friends here. We'll give the victors their rewards, get an ovation for them, and separate to prep for the finale." He paused, smiling. "Because the next person that tries to fight anyone will have their skull caved in."

I shrunk Anfisa down, keeping one eye on the Theoroi. I didn't really want to fight in the first place. As long as my friends were kept safe, standing down was fine by me.

Speaking of, Nike glaring at Agon. Her baton-weapon was still in her hands.

"Are you stopping me?" she asked.

"If you wanted them dead, you should've sponsored competitors that could pull it off," Agon said. "Do it in the game, or don't do it at all."

There was a long pause. "Fine," Nike said. Her baton morphed into a ref's whistle, which she tucked in her tracksuit pocket. "You're fortunate that you offer so much."

She turned on her heel, disappearing in a flash with a bang like a starter's pistol.

Other patrons were leaving too. Apparently, with their racers defeated and the in-house entertainment (read: deadly fighting) finished, nothing was keeping them there. So much for an ovation for us winners.

When it was just the winning teams and the suddenly very empty room, Agon turned to me and Annabeth. "So, troublemakers. Want your rewards?"

(-)

Quick apology for the long gap: I knew there was going to be a month I wouldn't be able to write because I'd be away from my computer, but I thought I could get this chapter out before then. I could not. Or, well, I had a draft, but a lot of the later scenes needed rewriting to bring up to snuff, and there's important stuff in there that I really wanted to get right. Still, to leave for a month on one of my rare cliffhangers was quite uncool.

We're drawing close to the final stretch for this arc. Six more chapters, I think, although that could become seven depending on how much time I want to give certain scenes. We'll see.

Also, if the Po male/female shift seems a bit random, that's because it is. I had this backstory planned back in chapter 23 when he made his first appearance, but I didn't pay quite enough attention to my research, and didn't realize all the Proioxis were female. Also, there probably IS actually only one of them, but I came up with a decent alternate explanation for that half of the slip-up.