Nothing is mine.

On we go...

To Faithful Roar

A small dark-red smear marred the brown bark of a slim pine leaning over a shallow bank.

'Blood again,' Iphi murmured, crouching to study it. 'He wiped his fingers on the trunk as he passed, but the break in the smear suggests his stride wasn't smooth.'

Clarisse wrinkled her nose. 'So what?'

'So he's still hurt,' Annabeth said. 'He hasn't healed himself and the wound is re-opening.'

'If he's running on basically one leg, how did he get this far?' Thalia demanded.

'He has not stopped to sleep as we assumed he would,' Iphi replied, scanning the pine needles. 'He ran all night and all day and is still going.' She pointed the tip of her hunting knife at the patches of upturned dry needles among the damp ones. 'See how his footsteps meander and the dry ground his steps expose? He's barely able to keep going and it stopped raining before he got here, so he's only an hour or so ahead of us.'

'Do we keep going?' Percy asked.

Iphi frowned. 'We will catch him if we do, perhaps we should.'

Annabeth dragged her map out from under her coat, stuffing the top edge into Clarisse's hands. 'Hold that.' She drew a line along the map with the tip of her finger. 'He's been going this way the whole time, give or take a bit of wiggling to get around rivers and hills.'

Percy stepped across and squinted at the swarm of contours. 'What's this way? It just looks like squiggles to me.'

Her finger traced across the green patches and orange lines. 'Yellowstone.' Annabeth blinked. 'Oh I'm so stupid. Faithful roar. It's the geyser. Old Faithful.' She glanced up, worry shining in her grey eyes. 'But that means it's all still to come, taking wing, Death's spring, and Lydia's scourge...'

'How far is it?' Thalia asked.

'Five hours. Maybe six,' Annabeth said. 'If we run.'

Iphi exchanged a look with Thalia. 'We should rest,' she said. 'At his pace, it will take him all night to get there. We set up camp and we leave early tomorrow morning. We'll catch him exhausted and while we're well rested.'

'You're sure we'll catch him?' Percy asked.

She nodded. 'He's running on empty. It will take him nine or ten hours at this pace and at some point soon he will have to rest for a few hours or he will collapse.'

Thalia clapped her hands together. 'Alright then. Iphi, do you mind gathering our sisters and getting them to make camp at the top of the hill?'

'Of course.' Iphi bounced to her feet and darted away into the trees.

'Right.' Thalia folded her arms. 'What's the prophecy?'

Percy shrugged. 'Normal stuff. Four of us. Place to go. Suggestion of something probably highly dangerous. Good chance of death.'

She glowered at him. 'I will zap you, Fish-face.'

'I'm not scared of you Miss ZappyMcZapface.' He grinned. 'But really I'll let Annabeth tell you, she's the one who's been worrying about it. Probably got a whole book of crayon scribblings about it stashed in a pocket somewhere with her bizarre erotic art of Andrea Palladio.'

Annabeth growled. 'Ass. You don't even know anything about Palladian architecture!'

'I know you didn't deny the erotic art part, Column-hugger,' Percy retorted.

She flushed. 'Only because it's obviously so stupid!'

Thalia cleared her throat. 'More prophecy less flirting, Annie.'

'I'm not flirting with this idiot! He's slandering Palladianism with his ignorance!' She huffed. 'Fine. Four will pursue vengeance to faithful roar: cleft guide, chosen-sister, star-sworn, queen of war. Lydia's scourge rises to blood in death's spring; defeated, half-blind justice takes wing. In red waters, destined foes heed Fates' call, but from red waters to darkness, two will fall.'

'You're chosen-sister,' Thalia said. 'And Grover is obviously cleft-guide.' She frowned. 'And unless Percy has a confession to make, he's probably not queen of war.'

'That's Clarisse,' Percy replied. 'Self-styled, apparently.'

Clarisse's ears turned red. 'Shut up. I was like twelve when I called myself that.'

'But you're not twelve now,' Annabeth said.

'You shut up too, Rapunzel.'

Thalia turned a deep frown on Percy. 'Which makes you star-sworn…'

'Don't ask,' Annabeth said. 'His head is just full of kelp. He'd just say some nonsense about how evil love is and how much he misses Calypso.'

'Better kelp than erotic images of Baroque architects.'

'You probably think Baroque is a type of stone,' she said.

'I don't.' He grinned. 'It's Thalia's kind of music right? Bar-rock. All screamy.'

'Oh for the love of the Gods please stop talking.' Annabeth buried her face in her hands. 'You're such an idiot and I think you might be contagious because that almost made sense to me.'

Thalia's jaw twitched. 'Annie, seriously, I'm trying to figure out if we should go with you or not, you can flirt with this idiot later.'

Annabeth flushed. 'Well yes, that's us. But given there are four of us, obviously it had to be us? Who else was it going to be?'

Percy laughed. 'She has a point…'

'And you're pursuing vengeance to this geyser?' Thalia's lips twisted. 'Vengeance for what?'

'Ethan's a son of Nemesis, it might just mean him—' Annabeth glanced at Percy a small frown creasing her forehead '—but he did kill Tyson, Percy's brother.'

'Either way it's probably Ethan,' Percy said.

'We're gonna pull out his spine,' Clarisse said, pounding her fist into her hand. 'Although all this running away makes me think he might not have one, the little bitch.'

Annabeth sighed. 'We'll catch him at the geyser and the rest I'm not sure about. Lydia's Scourge could be a lot of things and Death's Spring could be anywhere near here, I don't have enough information to deduce anything.'

'And the last bit?' Thalia murmured.

'I'm sure it'll work out,' Percy said. 'Whatever we choose we were always going to choose. Just make sure if you find yourself falling down into darkness with someone else that you land on top of them and not the other way around.'

Annabeth's lip trembled. 'You're such an idiot.'

'How is that idiotic?' He shook his head. 'What kind of daughter of Athena wants to end up on the bottom and get squished? That's not very wise at all.'

Thalia snorted. 'You two are cute.'

Annabeth huffed and swept her curls over her shoulders. 'We are not.' Worry gleamed in her grey eyes. 'He's going to do something stupid again. I can hear the kelp swirling in his head.'

I'm going to be brave. Sixteen or not. Percy glanced up through the darkening sky to the faint outline of the moon. I promised.

'As long as you only flirt with each other and stop Grover eating anymore socks, it's fine,' Thalia said.

'That's where my socks keep going!' He snorted. 'Unbelievable. And didn't you swear off stuff like this, Thalia?' he asked. 'Are you even allowed to say the word flirting without getting turned into jackelwhatever?'

'Yeah, that's not how it works. I can say what I like and do what I like and as long as I don't break my word to Artemis, I won't get ripped apart by a bear.' She shuddered and turned green. 'Which is good. Because that's really messy.' A strange distant expression crept across her face. 'And it smells awful when all the guts come out.'

Annabeth grimaced.

'Shame.' Percy grinned. 'You'd have made a cute fluffy jackelthing. We could have dressed you up in little fluffy pink things and fed you carrots.'

'I would have chewed your wrist veins open in the night,' Thalia said.

'I always wanted a pet when I was younger, but mom never let me,' Percy replied. 'I could carry you around in a little backpack and take you to picnics. Give you cute pink hats to wear. Maybe if I ask Artemis nicely she'll lend me you for a bit.'

Thalia snorted. 'C'mon. Before Alexandra annoys Iphi and ends up hanging upside from a tree snare or something again.' She strode back through the trees. 'If you ask Artemis to borrow me, you'll end up hugging a very large bear, Perce.'

'That's no way to talk about Annabeth.' Percy cackled at the distinct huff behind him. 'Also, I don't really want a Thalia-jackelthing, how will I hear you sing again if you're one of those?'

She scowled. 'You've never heard me sing.'

'You were all singing the other day when Artemis came back,' he replied.

'You couldn't hear me. Not over Artemis.'

'Same difference.'

'Screw you.'

Percy laughed. 'I think that would probably result in more large bears.'

'Yeah…' Thalia shivered. 'Artemis is… not kind to those that disappoint her.'

'Well, if you don't choose well, there are consequences,' he said, bounding up the roots on a short steep bank.

Two neat rows of silver tents ran along the clearing from the top of the slope to the brook at the bottom, broken by a square of trampled grass and a crackling fire.

'Look, Crayon-artist, it's all symmetrical.' He waved a hand at the tents. 'Alexandra clearly got her way again, aren't you happy?'

'It's very pleasing,' Annabeth retorted. 'My sister has good taste.'

'All those lovely parallel lines and even spaces…' Percy chuckled at the small smile on Annabeth's lips as they strolled through the tents. 'This must be heaven for you. Should I be worried you're going to stay with Lieutenant Sparky and her lovely tent arrangements?'

She rolled her eyes. 'As if I'd be stupid enough to leave you unsupervised, you ass. Go paddle in the stream, Crab-face.'

'I'm going to sit by the fire, actually.' He glanced around, straining his ears, but only caught the faint sound of Grover's snoring. 'Where is everyone?'

Thalia pointed downstream. 'Those pools we passed earlier today, probably. I'm going to join them. Annie? Clarisse?'

'Skinny-dipping?' Clarisse grinned a sharp grin. 'This princess? How… lewd.'

'Yes,' Annabeth snapped. 'This princess. And I don't have to take everything off, do I?'

'I'll watch the fire,' Percy said, flopping down into the grass beside the warmth of the small flames in the pit. 'You have fun.'

Thalia laughed. 'Yeah, sorry, Perce. I'd invite you, but…'

'I'd be more worried about uninviting Grover if I were you,' he said, staring up into the evening sky. 'I can't see him either…'

'I'll zap him back to camp so hard he'll think it was dad's bolt,' Thalia muttered, clenching her jaw. 'Most of my sisters are about fourteen.'

'Iphi would have already caught him,' Percy said. 'But zap away.'

'Oh I'm going to zap him.' She stalked off down the stream into the trees.

'Choice and consequence,' Annabeth sniped. 'Although, Grover probably does deserve it if he is peeking at them.'

Percy lifted a leg and pointed a toe past the fire at the tents. 'He's asleep. If you listen hard you can hear him snoring. He's not that bad, it's nature spirits that spin his head. I think they have a bit of an aura to them for him. Those naiads get him usually.'

'Still…'

'He's far too scared of getting beaten up by Juniper again,' he said. 'Just go bathe, Column-hugger. Make the most of it—' Percy laughed under his breath '—the next spring we get to paddle in will be less friendly.'

'Ass,' she muttered. 'Fine. Coming, Clarisse?'

'Yeah, I'm all sweaty from running all day.' She dropped her bag down beside Percy. 'I could use a bath. Don't much care if Perce wants to come, I go skinny-dipping with my cousins and brothers all the time.'

'I'll pass,' Percy said. 'I recently heard rumours that Annabeth uses that invisibility cap to spy on me in the shower and I wouldn't want to ruin her fun.'

'Shut up.' Annabeth kicked him in the shin. 'You know Artemis would skin you if she came back and found you bathing with all her companions.'

'Or feed me to a bear.' He shrugged and closed his eyes. 'I'd deserve it. What kind of person goes swimming with naked fourteen year old girls?'

Annabeth huffed and dropped her bag beside him. 'We're only fifteen, Kelp-brain. It's not like you're eighteen.'

'Sounds like you're trying to bait him.' Clarisse sniggered. 'And you've deliberately left him your stuff with your invisibility cap…'

'Shut up, Clara.'

Annabeth's footsteps and the sound of their bickering faded downstream, vanishing into the soft rustle of leaves and grass, creak of branches, and the quiet song of birds.

This is nice. Percy stretched and settled himself in the long grass, dragging Annabeth's bag across under his head. Peaceful.

'You look comfortable.' A soft quiet girl's voice broke through the gentle birdsong. 'You are not worried?'

Percy cracked one eye open.

A short dark-haired girl sat cross-legged in the grass beside him; a thin stream of smoke curled from the blackened tip of the small stick in her hand.

'Hi.' He stifled a yawn into his hand. 'Shouldn't you be with your sisters?'

She smiled, her eyes shadowed by her chestnut-brown fringe. 'I am.'

'I guess this is your camp, but I meant bathing in the stream.' Percy eyed her ash-stained toes as they wiggled on her white cushion beside his arm. 'Aren't you worried about cooties?'

'Aphrodite has no power over me, Percy.'

Percy winced. 'Well it might be very unwise to say that so boldly, Aphrodite may take it as a challenge…'

The girl laughed. 'You were born into love. My father swallowed me out of fear one of us would topple him.'

Ice flooded Percy's veins and he scrambled upright. 'If you're Demeter, then I'm sorry about Katie, but it was the best choice. If you're Hera… I actually have no idea why Hera would come and talk to me, but it probably means I should apologise for something.'

'I am Hestia.' Her eyes glowed soft and warm as embers. 'You have nothing to fear from me, brave hero. On that you have my word.'

Hestia. Percy clawed for Gabe's stories. The hearth, home, and family.

He sighed. 'At least you haven't come to mess with my heart. Probably.'

'Your heart is your own, Percy. It's not for me to extinguish its light.' Hestia poked the tip of her stick into the fire and watched it catch, the little yellow flames flickering in the dark of her pupil. 'What did you make of the prophecy?'

He shrugged. 'I don't really think about it that much.'

'No?' Hestia leant her head to one side and waved the stick in the air, drawing circles of smoke between them. 'Strange. Your thoughts are veiled to me. Obscured like flames beneath the shroud of smoke.'

'If we catch Ethan, we'll catch him. And whatever I choose, I was always going to choose. That's how it works, right?'

She set the stick down on her lap with a small smile. 'Star-sworn but ever free…'

'Oh.' A cold trickle trickled down his spine, pooling in the pit of his stomach; his heart sank into its bottomless black, driven down under crushing endless dark like one small stone beneath the weight of all the waves. 'That prophecy. Well, it's the same, really. I just have to choose well. Destined foes. Final choice. It doesn't matter. I just keep choosing well and I'll have no regrets.'

'You are so very brave,' Hestia murmured. 'Walking to your fate with all the weight of the world upon your shoulders.' A sad smile graced her lips. 'Stand or fall…'

'I won't fall.' Percy swallowed hard; the flash of pride in Artemis's silver eyes tugged the breath from his lungs and lifted his heart, scooping it from cold dark waters into soft calm summer seas. 'Not like that. Into darkness maybe. But I won't disappoint.'

'You promised…'

'I did.' He slipped his hand into his pocket, brushing his fingertips over Anaklusmos. 'I just have to be brave.'

'Is your promise more important than anything else, Percy?' Her orange irises with a soft gentle warmth, as kind as the patient gleam in his mom's brown eyes as she offered him the last cookie. 'Would you watch the world descend into chaos just so you can stand tall amidst the storm and say you didn't disappoint?'

'I promised to make her proud.' Percy's voice shrank to a soft murmur. 'She showed me everything. I didn't know it… but I was lost, just selfishly doing whatever I thought I had to and lucky I chose well enough. And then she showed me how it all works. I made them proud. I have to keep my promise.'

'Star-sworn, but ever free. Free to be so much more than just a fleeting soul veiled in crumbling flesh,' Hestia whispered. 'Hubris comes to tempt heroes in so many guises, Percy. Be careful...'

Free to be so much more than just fleeting souls veiled in crumbling flesh, right Zoë? Cold waves churned in his gut. And I was so proud...

'Thank you,' he mumbled, staring into the flames.

Hestia smiled. 'Trust your heart, Percy. It has not disappointed you yet.' She uncrossed her legs and stood, the white cushion vanishing from the grass. 'Trust it and you'll change the world for the better.'

'Every small act of kindness we choose to give is one that makes the world kinder,' Percy whispered, Artemis's words spilling from his lips like smooth clear water from a spring. 'I understand.'

Hestia's small smile and kind orange eyes kindled a fierce glow in his breast, hot and soft as summer evening bonfires built by his mom on Montauk's white sands. 'Just so, Brave One.' She burst into a wisp of dark smoke and faded away into the breeze.

AN: Check out my profile to find more, or just follow the chopped up linktree below to find extra chapters at Discord and all the rest!

linktr . ee / mjbradley