It takes about 20 minutes for Annabeth to get too worried to stay behind. With Juliette in too weakened a state to risk entering the palace with them, Annabeth and Rachel agree to tail Percy themselves, leaving Nico to guard Julie beside the entrance to the palace. Neither of the younger demigods are pleased with this decision.
Watching red and gold disappear beyond the exit of the Labyrinth, Juliette sighs in frustration. Her legs are shaking too much to stand. She leans heavily on the threshold.
"You okay?" Nico asks from beside her.
Julie's eyebrows go up in surprise. He actually looks a little concerned. She must look terrible. "Yeah," She rasps. "Just out of juice." She leans her head back against the tunnel wall and slides into a sitting position.
Her hair is tangled. Yuck. She fights with it for a bit, eventually giving up and tying it into a knotted ponytail at the back of her head. She'll have to steal some of Ellie's detangler when she gets back to camp. And insist on adding hairbrushes to the medical go-bags from now on.
Nico hovers in front of her for a moment, his eyes a little lost and anxious. Then, he leans forward a bit and offers his half empty water bottle to her. "Here."
A smile spreads across Julie's face, and he rolls his eyes, dropping the bottle on her carelessly. She fumbles as she tries to catch it. Nico peers down at her while she drinks, fidgeting with the skull ring on his hand. Julie lowers the bottle and tilts her head in concern.
"You okay?" She echoes his question. Nico frowns at her. There's a thoughtful gleam in his eye. Like she's a strangely shaped jigsaw puzzle he can't quite figure out what to make of.
"You went to the Underworld with me."
Julie blinks. He sounds almost accusatory, "Yeah? You said we'd be safe there. We were."
Something flickers across his face. He continues to study her. Whatever he'd have replied with gets cut off by the unmistakable sound of a very angry, very quickly approaching army of monsters. Julie leaps to her feet. Nico unsheathes his sword and pulls her behind him as they face the threshold.
Annabeth, Rachel, and Percy are sprinting toward the Labyrinth at max speed. A wise decision considering the hoard of telekhines on their heels. Nico groans.
"He was invisible! How did he get caught?"
"AFTER THEM!" A deep, drawling voice booms so loudly the ground tremors. Julie gasps, and Nico pales. He sheathes his sword and glances back at her.
"Get ready to run." He orders. Julie nods weakly.
The moment their friends speed past the doorway, Nico claps his hands together. A jagged spire of rock the size of an eighteen-wheeler erupts from the ground in front of the fortress, blocking off the entrance behind them. Dust blows everywhere and the monsters on the other side let out startled squeals.
Julie turns on her heel, and she and Nico sprint after their friends down the corridor.
They run for so long, colorful shapes are swimming in Juliette's vision by the time they slow to a stop.
"I can't go any further," Rachel gasps out, doubling over. Julie nods her agreement. She lowers herself back to the floor, splaying out like a starfish on the dusty ground. She feels Nico and Percy plop down on either side of her.
"What happened?" She wheezes. Annabeth lets out a choked sob. Percy sighs heavily and explains about Ethan Nakamura and the time slowing magic. By the end of his tale, Annabeth is huddled and crying into her knees. Her anguish makes Julie's fingers and toes feel tingly.
"He's invulnerable?" Nico asks. Percy tiredly runs a hand down his dust covered face.
"Yeah."
Nico's head clunks back against the wall. "That sucks." He states.
Julie snorts. Tears are tracking down her cheeks now. She's not sure if they're from fear, sadness, or even just from the dust in her eyes. "Yeah. Sucks." She agrees.
Percy looks over at Nico, his eyebrows furrowed. "You saved our lives."
Nico shifts uncomfortably. He uses his jacket sleeve to wipe some dust from his face. "Blame the girls for going in after you. That's the only thing they could agree on. Somebody needed to help you, or you'd mess things up."
Percy scowls. "Nice that they trust me so much." He clicks on his flashlight, and Julie throws a small rock at him when he shines it in her eyes. Annabeth is still crying somewhere off to their right. Percy seems to be ignoring her. "Nico...you, uh, kind of gave yourself away." He says softly.
Nico raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"That wall of black stone?" Percy reminds him. "That was pretty impressive. If Kronos didn't know who you were before, he does now. A child of the Underworld."
There's a moment of silence as Percy's words ring throughout the cavern. Julie sighs. "He already knew. Luke sent Kelli after him for a reason." She sits up painfully and turns to face them. Nico and Percy don't normally look anything alike. But, covered in dust and blood, sitting side by side with their matching messy dark hair, they could almost be siblings. The sight sends a strange pain down deep in her chest. "That might've been the coolest thing I've ever seen, by the way." She adds to Nico.
Nico looks down. "Big deal." He mutters.
Annabeth speaks up then. She's curled in a ball by the opposite wall, Rachel's hands hovering uncertainly over her shoulders as she sobs. "What...what was wrong with Luke? What did they do to him?" She asks. Julie looks to Percy in confusion.
Percy grits his teeth. "There was a coffin Luke was laying in. It was some kind of resurrection ritual. When Ethan Nakamura pledged himself to Kronos, the last piece of his soul, like, came floating out of Tartarus. Into Luke." He recounts. Annabeth gasps brokenly. "He's made himself Kronos' vessel." Percy snarls. Anger is pulsing around him now. Julie feels her reserves start to charge back up.
"No," Annabeth shakes her head. "That can't be true. He couldn't-"
"He gave himself over to Kronos," Percy insists. "I'm sorry, Annabeth, but Luke is gone." He doesn't sound sorry at all.
Annabeth drops her legs sharply. "No! You saw when Rachel hit him."
Percy breathes out a short laugh. He looks over to the redhead in question. "You hit the Lord of the Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush."
"You what?"
Rachel looks embarrassed. "It was the only thing I had."
"I feel like I'm missing a lot of context."
"But, you saw," Annabeth cuts back in. "When it hit him, just for a second, he was dazed. He came back to his senses." She insists.
Percy groans in frustration. Julie agrees with that sentiment. "So, maybe Kronos wasn't completely settled in the body, or whatever." He reasons. "It doesn't mean Luke was in control."
Strength floods Julie's extremities as Annabeth slams the flat of her knife into the tunnel floor.
"You want him to be evil, is that it?" She snaps.
Juliette loses her own cool then. "Are you kidding me, Chase? He has literally kidnapped or mortally wounded more than half of the people sitting here, you included!"
"Neither of you knew him before this. I did!"
"What is it with you?!" Percy shouts. "Why do you keep defending him?"
Rachel places herself between Percy and Annabeth, palms in the air. "Woah, you two. Knock it off."
Annabeth turns on her. "Stay out of it, mortal girl! If it wasn't for you..." Whatever she was going to accuse Rachel of goes unheard as she burst back into tears. Julie's anger simmers down and is replaced by guilt. Why does she keep making Annabeth Chase cry?
With a sigh, Julie scoots over to sit beside the blonde and carefully wraps her arms around the older girl. Annabeth instantly relaxes as Juliette opens a connection between them, soaking in her heartache to soothe her tears. Annabeth drops her head onto Juliette's shoulder and continues to weep silently.
Nico's voice cuts through the tension. "We have to keep moving. He'll send monsters after us." He turns to Juliette. "You good to keep going?" He asks a little softer.
"Yeah," Julie nods. "Nothing like a the tears of a close friend to wake you up in the morning." She looks down at Annabeth. "You're like my own little espresso shot." She jokes. Annabeth chokes out a laugh. Or maybe a sob. Either way, she makes a noise.
Percy sighs and stands up. Julie watches him reach out and help Rachel to her feet. "You did good back there." He tells her.
The girl goes as red as her hair. "Yeah, well, I didn't want you to die. I mean...because, you know. You owe me too many favors. How am I going to collect if you die?" She rambles nervously.
Julie shakes her head at the two in exasperation. Typical. Annabeth is just not having a good few days, is she? She tightens her hold on her friend's shoulders.
Percy kneels down in front of them. He places a gentle hand on Annabeth's arm. "Hey, I'm sorry. We need to move." He tells her softly.
She stirs and pulls herself out of Juliette's embrace. "I know," She sniffles. "I'm...I'm alright."
A lie, but they need to go, so Julie doesn't comment. Instead she turns to the group and gets to her feet. "Soooo...Anybody actually know how to get home?" She asks.
"Rachel can navigate down here. It's the clear sight." He nods at the redhead. "Back to New York, if you-" He freezes.
Julie tilts her head. "What's wrong?"
Percy takes a few steps forward and bends down. When he stands, dangling from his hands is a muddy red Rasta cap.
They find Tyson cradling an unconscious Grover a little ways down the tunnel. Julie leaps into action, cleaning up and stitching the wound on his head as best as she can. Percy watches her new skill with fascination, which makes her glow with pride. As soon as she finishes, Annabeth splashes cold water onto the satyr's face, and he jerks awake.
He sleeps through stitches, but a little water and he's up? What a guy.
While Grover explains about Pan, Julie cleans Tyson's scrapes and smooths the last of the Hannah Montana band-aids over them. When she places the last one, he sweeps her into a cozy bear hug. "I am happy to see Jewel." He cheers in her ear.
Julie beams at him. "I'm happy to see you too, Ty. Anything else hurt?" She asks. He shakes his head and turns to Percy with a grin so he can introduce him to the "pretty redhead" (Annabeth is not pleased about the cyclops' description).
Once everyone is healed and on their feet, the seven of them turn to face the corridor Grover had indicated.
"Something powerful is just beyond that doorway." Percy mumbles. They all nod in agreement and follow after as the satyr leads them through the threshold.
The death of the god, Pan, is still replaying in Julie's head as they step out of the Labyrinth and into Times Square. His parting words to her are ringing in her ears.
"Child of Anguish, be true to your heart. Your mother's domain will be your salvation whether she wishes it or not. Shape your own destiny, and Fate will follow in turn."
Grover has been quiet since they left the old satyr's deathbed. She can feel a stronger aura from him now. He is grieving, but there's a strength in him Julie hadn't previously recognized. His eyes are set in resolve, and his steps are purposeful.
Juliette sighs in relief as the sun warms her skin. Thank Hestia, they're on their way back home.
Percy whistles sharply to her left, and six shadows appear on the horizon. Blackjack and five other pegasi come trotting to a stop before them, making Rachel gasp in delight. Julie grins and approaches a snowy white mare with flowers in her mane.
"Hey, Odette," She greets the pegasus. Odette's Silena's pegasus mostly, but she likes the rest of Cabin 10 well enough. She whinnies and nuzzles her snout into Juliette's offered palm.
Rachel bids them farewell and disappears into the crowd with a longing smile back at Percy that makes Annabeth huff irritably.
Julie looks over to see Nico struggling to approach one of the other pegasi, which is backing away from him warily and refusing to let him mount. Julie frowns and approaches. Nico scowls when he sees her coming, looking away in embarrassment.
"Just go without me," He glares at them. "I don't want to go back to that camp, anyway."
Julie's stomach twists. Percy frowns at him pleadingly. "Nico, we need your help."
Nico crosses his arms petulantly.
Juliette slowly reaches a hand towards his shoulder. He doesn't pull away this time, so she places it there with a gentle squeeze. "We want you to come with us." She tells him firmly.
Annabeth nods, placing a hand on his other shoulder too. "Nico, please."
His expression slowly softens. He kicks his feet at the sidewalk. "Fine," He agrees reluctantly. "For you. But, I'm not staying."
Percy looks a little offended at how easily the girls had swayed him. Julie and Annabeth both stick their tongues out at him smugly.
The six of them mount the pegasi and take to the skies. A short flight later, they're descending to a smooth landing in the center of the cabin area of Camp Halfblood.
Juliette's never seen camp like this before.
Military structures have been erected in arcs fanning out all the way from the Labyrinth entrance at Zeus' Fist. The Athena cabin seems mostly grouped up in a tactical tent that Annabeth makes a beeline for the moment they finish their debrief with Chiron. The Ares cabin is manning most of the structures on the front line, and Julie can see her siblings darting between tents and the weapons shed, passing out armor and bringing weapons to the Hephaestus cabin for mending. Lacy is even running around with a pot of orange war paint, smearing stripes across the cheeks of campers as she passes them.
Juliette turns to Percy. "I'm going to find the Apollo tent. They're gonna need me." She declares.
He smiles at her. "Okay," Percy wraps her into a tight embrace, and mutters into her hair, "Be safe. I'm still mad at you, and that's gonna be really annoying to hang on to if you get hurt."
She laughs. "Back at you. Be careful."
They pull away and nod at one another. Juliette shifts her attention to Nico. "Want a job?" She asks.
He shrugs at her and follows when she darts off towards the infirmary tent.
She sweeps into the flurry of Athena and Apollo campers and greets them with a casual "Hey." Will whirls on her from across the pavilion, looking far too murderous to be acceptable for a medic.
"Hey?!" He snaps. The blonde boy brushes past where he was helping his younger siblings wind up bandages and storms towards her. Julie cringes and backs up a few steps hesitantly, only to be snatched by the forearms and pulled into a tight hug. "You are actually the stupidest person I've ever met." He hisses into her ear. His arms tighten around her. "I thought you were dead, you idiot."
Julie squeezes Will back. "Yeah, sorry. Not one of my more well thought out plans. Not dead though." She offers with a weak chuckle.
Will releases her and steps back. He looks over her shoulder and his eyes widen on Nico. "Oh. Hi." He says awkwardly.
Nico just stares at him.
Julie speaks again. "I need a go-bag. I think I have enough juice to transform for a bit when the fighting starts, but if I get knocked out of it, we'll need all the medics we can get."
Will nods. He passes her a backpack and a spare bow and quiver as Lee comes striding into the tent with an anxious frown. "Oh, Julie, thank gods. Thought you were dead, kid. Anyway, we need to be ready to move. Everybody prepped?"
At everyone's nod, he turns to Julie and Nico specifically. "Julie, did you say you're transforming?" She nods. "Good. Are you capable of flying with a patient? Yeah? Okay, good. I want you medivac-ing wounded here to Michael. He's gonna be running the main tent with the younger kids. If you see a green flare, that's your signal. Di Angelo, I assume you're here to help?" Nico shrugs. "Alright, I've got Athena campers with white backpacks like Julie and Will's here. Keep them alive. They're our field medics to keep people on their feet." Nico nods again and exits the tent without a word.
Lee breathes out harshly, raking a hand through his sweaty blonde hair. He surveys the two younger demigods before him. "You guys be careful, alright? Don't be heroes today. Be doctors. Doctors have to stay alive to help their patients. No stupid risks." He orders.
Juliette can feel his fear intensify. She pulls it inwards. She's going to need all the strength she can get.
The ground beneath them trembles. Julie shoots a forced smile at Will and Lee's frightened faces. "I think that's our que." She breathes.
They exit the tent into an eerily silent camp. The Ares campers are creeping forward in formation. Suddenly, Clarisse yells, "Lock shields!" and the enemy army erupts from the Labyrinth.
A dozen Laistrygonian giants come barreling out of the break in the rocks. They're bigger than the ones Juliette fought in the Labyrinth, swinging clubs the size of tree trunks and wielding flattened cars as shields. One swings its club at a formation of Ares campers, and every one of them goes flying like a ragdoll.
Julie clamps down her terror. She has to wait. She's needed for something other than fighting this time. Will slips his hand into hers. She looks over. His face is pale and his fingers are trembling, but his eyes are trained on his older brother's face. Lee is standing steady, the detached focus of a medic shining in his eyes. He looks strong. Prepared.
They are prepared. They can do this.
Julie squeezes Will's hand and looks back to the battle. The Athena cabin charges into the fray, and it's time for them to move.
"Go!" Lee orders. He, Will, and Juliette dart towards the battlefield. They're separated almost instantly. Julie does her best to avoid other white backpacks, trying to spread out the medical attention as far across the fight as possible.
She hears a cry of pain come from her right and looks over. A boy from the Athena cabin is caught in the net of a dracaena, which cackles and presses a switch on its wrist cuff. The net electrifies. Sparks travel across the camper's body as he screams, his skin starting to char where the net makes contact with his skin. Julie lets out a cry and fires an arrow at the dracaena. It whizzes past its head, but the monster is forced to release the button.
The dracaena thrusts its spear at Juliette, and she dodges, twirling around and nocking another arrow. This time, when she fires, it lodges neatly in the monster's eye socket, dissolving it into a pile of golden dust.
Julie drops to her knees beside the boy, yanking the net off. He's twitching, his eyes unfocused and pained. There's blood leaking from his nose and ears. Letting out a terrified breath, Julie reaches into her pouch for a canteen of nectar. She tips it against the boy's lips. After the first swallow, he starts to respond easier, eventually drinking on his own.
The nectar kicks in. His eyes focus, and he sits up, nodding at her gratefully. "Thank you." He pushes the canteen back into her bag for her and leaps up to rejoin the fight.
Juliette doesn't have time to feel relieved. She looks up just as green smoke surges into the sky.
It's snakey time, she thinks to herself. Man, she's really gotta come up with a better thing to call it.
The adrenaline in her system makes the transformation pass in the blink of an eye. In seconds, she's leaping into the air, her powerful wings traveling her over the raging battle towards the source of the green flare. Spears shoot through the air at her. She weaves and bobs to avoid them, but they nick her sides and wings every so often.
Reaching the location, she hovers gently over Lee Fletcher. He finishes strapping a girl to a fold-out cot, a thick white brace stabilizing her clearly broken neck. With a thumbs up, Lee jumps to the side, and Julie descends. She uses her back feet to grab either side of the cot and lift it into the air, soaring back across the field to the infirmary.
She repeats this process several times, delivering victims of sword slashes, burns, broken legs, and spears to the gut. She's running out of steam, but she pushes on. She's saving lives. If she's too weak now, people will die.
Her resolve almost breaks when she arrives at a flare location, and it's Will holding the canon. There are tears streaming down his face. He's pale. His entire body trembles as he holds up his older brother's body by the shoulders.
There's a chunk of skull missing from Lee Fletcher's head. He must have been dead before he hit the ground.
Julie feels her transformation flicker. She lands beside Will and presses her head into his ribcage as he begs her to save his brother. Feeding off of his grief feels wrong. It leaves her feeling nauseous and dirty. But, it's what she needs to be able to pick up Lee gently in her claws and fly his lifeless form away from the battle.
She doesn't bring him to the infirmary. Michael, Kayla, and Austin need to focus. Instead, she lays him lovingly beside the other line of dead and soars back into the air before the grief can hit her.
She keeps up with her job for as long as she can. Her transformation fails her mid air. She feels it coming. She's able to slow her fall enough with her shrinking wings to not break every bone she has on impact, but slamming into the dirt from any height never feels good. Her world is spinning. Black spots burst in her field of vision like sad fireworks. The spear wounds that have accumulated over every flight are bleeding freely now. Breathing is getting hard.
"Aster! Get off the ground!" A voice snaps.
Julie can't even find the strength to turn her head.
Hands grab at her backpack and she's lifted from the ground in one sharp movement. "Sleeping on the job, punk?" Clarisse gruffs at her, slinging Juliette over her shoulder. She takes off towards the infirmary. Michael meets them at the entrance and they pass off Juliette's limp form like a sack of flour.
Julie has vague memories of Kayla's pink-tipped hair fluttering in her face as she swallows down microwave macaroni and cheese and then passes out.