¹Royal Cries, p. jackson

020.

ROYAL CRIES
━━ chapter twenty

━━ THEY LANDED AT Crissy Field after nightfall.

As soon as Dr. Chase stepped out of his Sopwith Camel, his daughter ran to him and enveloped him in a hug. "Dad! You flew ... you shot ... oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

Elisa's heart gave a quick jerk at the sight of a seemingly happy father and daughter. She turned her attention to a scene even worse for her.

The Hunter shivered despite the blanket wrapped around her tightly. Sweat beaded on her forehead. If Elisa didn't know any better, she'd think the Hunter was suffering from a common cold.

"Tell me you have some nectar or ambrosia on you," Thalia pleaded with Elisa. Her blue eyes were icy as she stared down at Zoë.

The daughter of Dionysus shook her head. "I never thought of taking any with me."

Even if she had, it wasn't like Elisa had the time to go make a pit stop for anything she thought of taking on a quest.

Elisa looked to Artemis. "Do you keep any with you? Any on the chariot?"

The goddess's face was grim. "I do not. I never gained the habit of keeping any me," she said. "I am not sure what good it would do Zoë now ..."

She whispered the last part; a hollow and hoarse sound Elisa never expected to hear from a goddess.

Elisa hated to take no as an answer. She hated to sit by and watch as Zoë withered away before her. She sat down slowly, keeping Zoë in her line of sight. She crossed her legs and grabbed Zoë's hand. The Hunter's hand was ice cold, sending a shiver down Elisa's spine.

Zoë could barely squeeze Elisa's hand. Elisa's eyes held unshed tears as she looked up at Thalia.

The daughter of Zeus closed her eyes briefly before turning to Annabeth and Percy, both of whom were talking to Dr. Chase.

"Annabeth, Percy," she called to them.

They looked over their shoulders, seeing the scene unfolding before them. The two walked over silently. Zoë's hand was growing colder by the minute as Artemis was binding the wound on the Huntress's side.

"Can't you heal her with magic?" Percy asked Artemis. "I mean ... you're a goddess."

Artemis sighed. "Life is a fragile thing, Percy. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do. But I can try."

She tried to set her hand on Zoë's side, but Zoë gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them.

"Have I ... served thee well?" Zoë whispered.

"With great honor," Artemis replied softly. "The finest of my attendants."

Zoë's face relaxed. "Rest. At last."

"I can try to heal the poison, my brave one."

But at that moment, Elisa knew it wasn't just the poison that was killing Zoë. It was Atlas's final blow. Zoë had known all along that the Oracle's prophecy was about her: she would be the one to die by a parent's hand. But yet, she'd taken the quest anyway, all with a brave face, too.