Nothing is mine.

Katie's got a quest!

Three Most Dire

Little ripples crossed the lake as Metea and her sisters drifted through the water, lapping at the posts of the dock and tugging at the fine green weed clinging to the wood.

'So where do we start?' Katie asked. 'Percy?'

'This is your quest.' He turned around and mustered a smile for her, but her heart hovered in her green eyes, huge and bright as the full moon above the still summer sea, and guilt washed all that laughter from his lips. 'No more cheerio-leading now, Captain Crunch.'

Katie tugged at one lock of her blonde hair, nibbling the end. 'But I don't know what to do, I've never been on a quest before. I just… I didn't want you to have to do it again.'

But you can't do that, Katie. Everyone gets to choose, the most you should do is show them how to choose well.

'Well, we'll figure it out.' Percy waved back to Metea and her two little sisters as they slipped beneath the surface of the lake. 'Usually, I just let Annabeth do this bit. She liked to try and figure them all out in advance and come up with some sort of plan, and then what was always going to happen, happens. But Annabeth is busy redesigning all of Elysium into something horrible and symmetrical, so we'll just have to do it ourselves this time.'

I'll probably be seeing her soon. He stared out across the sea, up through the late spring sky to where all the stars shone, somewhere beyond that bright clear blue, and smiled to himself. It'll be nice to see her again. And Bianca. And Malcolm. And Ethan.

'California,' Katie whispered.

'What?' Clarisse glanced up from trying to stuff a second xiphos into the drinks' pocket of her rucksack. 'What did the Treehugger say?'

'California!' Katie's green eyes flashed. 'If you absolutely have to come, at least listen, Clarisse.'

Clarisse laughed and cracked her knuckles. 'I'm listening. The Golden Coast bit, right? The first one.'

One to die upon golden coast, extinguished by wild silver host.

'Yeah—' Katie squirmed a little '—apparently there are forest fires there again, which is weird, because it's not the right time of year for those.'

'Nature's Pyre,' Percy murmured. 'I guess we're going to California then. Damn, I need to pack my bikini if we're going to Cali. And probably some spare clothes, which I don't have many left of, because there's no way I don't somehow lose at least one t-shirt to those fires. I'm calling it now, Clarisse. Ten drachma?'

Clarisse snorted. 'I'm not taking that bet. And I really don't want to see you in a bikini. Save it for this Plant-Princess, she'd love to see you wearing a little less. Probably already sends some kind of spy carrots to watch you shower.'

'That Plant-Princess is going to knock all your teeth out with some kind of root vegetable if you annoy her too much.' He laughed. 'Okay, how are we getting there? It's a really long walk…'

'We fly.'

'Er…' Katie shook her head. 'I can't afford that. I have, like, no money.'

'Me either,' Percy said. 'And mom's got a new baby to look after, so I can't go asking her to help. It's not fair.'

'Well, I have.' Clarisse shrugged and pulled up a slim copper chain to show a small, mangled lump of metal. 'I got this and I got money. Mom didn't leave me anything else. Might as well use the money for something important.'

'What is that?' Katie asked, staring at the necklace. 'It looks squished.'

'The bullet.' Clarisse dropped it back down beneath her t-shirt. 'They tried to cut it out of her head after she got shot, but she died anyway.'

'Sorry,' Percy muttered.

'She fought well and died well,' Clarisse replied. 'Nothing to be sorry for. And it's not like I go around telling people about her; the only time you could've seen this necklace, Strawberry-Sensation over here was covering your eyes in a fit of jealous panic.'

'Still…'

'Forget it.' Clarisse folded her arms. 'People die during wars, Sea-boy. What matters is that they die well and dad's always said she died bravely.'

Katie glanced between the two of them. 'So we fly; that's fine, right? Zeus isn't going to—'

'It's fine,' Percy promised. 'We'll get across New York to the airport, get ourselves on the first flight to LA we can, and then figure out what's next from there.'

'I guess we should go then?' Katie plucked her bag up off the dock. 'Right, Percy?'

'Let's go. Places to see. Gigantes to slay.' He grinned. 'Spare t-shirts to lose. I only have one spare t-shirt by the way.'

'Want me to cut a few holes in it, Strawberry-girl?' Clarisse offered.

Katie's cheeks turned a little pink. 'Shut up, Clarisse.'

'That wasn't a no.' Clarisse swung her rucksack over her shoulder. 'You got all the important stuff, Cucumber-Girl?'

Katie's green eyes flashed and she flushed bright pink. 'No cucumber jokes!'

A snort of laughter escaped Clarisse. 'Fine, but you've got a sword, and water, and some food, and clothes… not just your cutest strawberry-patterned bikini for this idiot—'

'Clarisse,' Percy murmured. 'Enough. If Katie wanted someone to make annoying jokes every other word like that, she'd have chosen to bring Drew instead of you.'

Clarisse twitched. 'Yes, strategos.' She stared down into the water for a moment. 'Sorry, Katie, you know what I mean—'

'I've got all the stuff I need,' Katie declared, striding back along the dock toward the cabins. 'Let's just go.'

I'm sorry. Percy trudged after her, clutching Anaklusmos's pen form tight in his pocket. I tried not to, but…

Clarisse elbowed him in the side. 'Don't worry about it,' she whispered, watching Katie walk ahead of them. 'She knew how it would end; it's not your fault it did.'

'Isn't it?'

'No, Sea-boy. You're you. She likes you because of that. And if you weren't you—' Clarisse slapped him on the back '—she wouldn't have liked you to begin with.'

'That doesn't mean it didn't hurt,' Percy replied.

'No, but, you've heard what Barbie gang say, it's meant to hurt. They're annoying, but they're not wrong. Aphrodite just screws with some of us; she always screws with me and my siblings. Katie'll be okay. You'll go on to immortality and glory like Achilles, and I'll go after you, and she'll come back, find a nice normal guy, have a nice normal life, some kids, get a job, a house, a cute little garden, and all that sappy soft girl stuff that gets her hot under the collar.'

'And then one day, when she dies without regret, I'll see her again somewhere with green fields and bright sunshine.' Percy smiled. 'I wonder if Elysium has strawberry fields?'

'We'll find out.' Clarisse growled. 'Oh, what are these idiots doing? I told them not to do this.'

The other campers gathered at the fire, lining the path back toward the small road and the gate, cheering and clapping and grinning. Katie hovered before them, squirming a little and glancing back at Percy.

'What's wrong?' Percy asked.

'You go first,' she said.

'What, just in case they throw tomatoes?' He laughed. 'Can't you just return fire with apples or something?'

Katie giggled, but dropped back just behind his left shoulder. 'Let's go.'

You're following me. Even though you chose to lead, you're still following me. Percy's heart dipped toward the dark, but he snatched it back. Well, this time it doesn't matter. This time it's me. Just me.

The cheers rang in his ears as he strode through them, the smiles and grins flashing as they waved their fists and weapons aloft. Awe shone in their eyes, bright and soft as Hestia's gaze and the orange glow of the glyphs on his ring.

Would they cheer like this if they knew I wasn't coming back? Percy took a long deep breath and let the slow wash of the tide sweep all of that away. There's nothing to regret. I just choose well.

'Stop that—' Clarisse swatted the nearest of her brothers over the head with her hand '—you little squirt, I know this was you. When I get back, I'm going to feed you a whole sandwich of knuckles for this nonsense.'

Her brother just laughed and stamped his feet. 'Queen of War,' he called as his brothers took up the cry and Katie's brothers and sisters cheered her name around them. 'Queen of War!'

Starsworn. Percy clung to the calm still of a woodland pool, held it there inside him like a trickle of water in his cupped hands. But ever free, right, Artemis? Wild silver host is you and your sisters. So Nature's Pyre…

Our sisters. Artemis's whisper swept through his thoughts like the wind rustling through fields of long wild grass. You are no less my companion than any of they, Perseus. We await you and your companions in California, where you have hunted with us already, but with my father's strict command, I can say no more until you stand before me.

A strange sweet yearning tugged at his heart like the gentle foaming waves of the tide and a little smile crept across Percy's lips. I'll make her proud one last time, Zoë, I give you my word.

'Come on, Clarisse,' Katie growled, yanking her away from her brothers and toward the track back to New York. 'We need to get to California.'

'And pick a fight with the Gigantes,' Percy said. 'Which, you know, I'm not sure is the greatest idea. Does anyone know anything about them?'

'I know they're going to wish they'd never met me.' Clarisse pounded her fist against her palm. 'Or at least one of them is.'

'Not really,' Katie murmured. 'Should we—' she glanced back at the Big House '—go ask Chiron or someone?'

'I'll ask Artemis,' he said. 'When we get to California.'

Clarisse blinked. 'Why would you ask her?'

'Because she'll tell me.' Percy paused at the stack of rocks marking the camp boundary. 'But apparently Zeus has commanded something that means she can't say anything until we're in California.'

Katie's forehead wrinkled. 'So… Artemis is in California?'

'Wild silver host, Captain Crunch. They're pretty wild and definitely into silver.' Percy grinned into the trees. 'Host is a bit generous, though, Thalia couldn't lead a picnic let alone a host. Iphi probably could though.'

'Ohhhh.' She turned a little pink. 'Okay, I get it. I thought you had Artemis's number or something and meant you were going to ask her like that.'

Clarisse snorted. 'It's called praying, Treehugger.'

'Yeah.' Percy laughed. 'I'm very sure she doesn't have a phone. Really just doesn't seem like she would.'

'You could've Iris messaged her,' Clarisse said.

'I could do what?'

'Iris. Message.'

'Yeah… what?'

'How do you not know what that is?'

'Nobody has mentioned them at all until literally right now,' Percy said. 'Could I use it to get a back-up t-shirt?'

Katie giggled. 'No.'

'Well then I guess it doesn't matter,' he declared. 'How far are we going, by the way?'

'Just into the edge of the city,' Clarisse said. 'We can bus across to the airport from there, I've done it before. Takes a little while and is a bit of a pain, but it's better than walking all day.'

'Or running all the way to Mount Tamalpais,' Percy joked. 'I think I nearly threw up about ten times from all that running until Aphrodite gave us a ferrari.'

Clarisse stepped past the rocks. 'Right, from here on out, we need to keep an eye out for things that need to get stomped on, Katie. So don't go off by yourself or anything like that.'

'I'm not stupid,' Katie retorted. 'Just because I've not been on a quest before doesn't mean I'm going to try and get myself eaten by something.'

'What if it's Pe—'

'Clarisse,' Percy murmured. 'It's really not the time for that. You know why.'

'She's a big girl, she knows how to tell me to stop.'

'Yeah, blunt force trauma,' Katie growled. 'The only thing that gets through that thick skull of yours.'

Clarisse cackled. 'See, Sea-boy? Your vegetable psycho can look after herself, don't worry.'

A touch of pink blossomed across Katie's cheeks and she caught Percy's eye, a little glimmer of hope shining in her green eyes as she glanced away and straightened the strap of her rucksack. 'Shut up, Clarisse. Go get your head checked for long-term brain damage. Someone hit you too hard. Probably several times.'

'Yeah, you.' Clarisse shot Katie a sharp smile. 'Like twenty times.'

They laughed.

Percy adjusted his rucksack straps, twisting on his heel to take a look back at camp and the crowd of demigods watching and cheering for them from among the tables. Anxious little waves clamoured within him, breaking and crashing against each other in the pit of his stomach.

I won't see any of them again. Any of this. He picked out their faces, one by one, and, through the huddle, he caught a glimpse of Hestia sitting by the fire, poking at the flames with her small stick. I should've called mom before we left. The waves shrank back into a tight foaming knot in his gut. Is this how it felt for you, Zoë? Leaving all your sisters behind without being able to say goodbye.

'Come on, you two,' he said. 'Let's go. I don't want to hover here on the brink of leaving.'

It's time for things to end.

AN: More of this and many other things via the link!

linktr . ee / mjbradley