The Moon and the Stars || Heroes of Olympus

Chapter 54

Jason and I bowed to the goddess.

"There's no need for that." Ersa laughed. "No one has bowed to me in millennia."

"All the more reason to." I straightened, smiling as I introduced myself. "I'm Neo Dare, daughter of Selene, and this is Jason Grace, son of Jupiter."

Her smile widened, her large brown eyes sparking. "You're both my siblings then! I'm the daughter of Selene and Zeus. How exciting!"

I glanced at Jason. Neither of us had been expecting that kind of news from my - our - apparently very excitable sister. That adds another level of weird to our relationship. "Anyway," I said, trying to avoid thinking about our fucked up family tree. "Why did you call us here?"

"For the first time in centuries, I felt a hint of our mother's power nearby." She nodded at me. In the distance, a catoblepas' foghorn moan filled the air. "I haven't seen any of my siblings in a long time. I wanted to talk with you. Over the centuries, the mortals have started to forget about us minor deities and my power is depleting. They've lost respect for the natural world and now my waters are tainted because of it."

She pulled out a clear bottle filled with water. It was certainly brighter than any water I'd ever seen, but it still carried impurities. Her seashell earrings tinkled as she shook her head sadly. "I don't know what to do anymore. I thought you might be able to help."

"Oh." I didn't know what to say. I can't fix all of humanity. My gaze met Jason's, lost.

"Neo is your mother's heir." He said slowly, glancing at me to make sure he didn't overstep. "Maybe once we've finished with this quest, she can change the way the mortals see the world for the better."

I nodded. "I could try, but I don't know how to fix all this myself. There's a lot of damage to undo."

"I know." She reassured me. "I was speaking to a young dryad about it the other day. She had some very interesting thoughts on the matter, though I disagree with her desire to get revenge on humanity. That's the kind of thinking that leads to Gaea rising."

"Yes. I think if we work together - gods and heroes - then we can start to heal the world. Humanity deserves one more chance." I agreed, my mind drifting to the nymphs Piper, Jason and Percy met in Rome. They'd been driven to violence by what humans had done to them. I don't blame them, but if the dryads start wanting revenge on humanity as well .... we're going to have more than just Gaea to worry about.

"That's a good idea." Jason said, looking equally troubled about the dryads. "Is there anything we can do to help you, Lady Ersa?"

She looked flattered at the title. "Perhaps your moonlight may be able to help, Neo. I find exposure to the full moon improves the purity."

"I can try." My hands began to glow with silver light.

She handed me the bottle carefully and the liquid inside seemed to absorb the light. It might have been a trick of the light, but when I removed my hands, the water had a new silver quality to it.

"Thank you." The goddess examined the water, a small smile playing on her lips. "You have been a great help, Neo - "

A loud clattering from the streets diverted our attention. It sounded like a stampede.

"What - "

Jason cut me off. "Frank?"

I followed his gaze through the gates. What appeared to be every catoblepas in the city was charging through the streets in a cloud of noxious green gas. Leading the mob with a red glow, just as Jason had said, was Frank Zhang.