「019. family shopping time 」
BARBIE'S DREAMS where very much this or that. which was to say, they were all over the fucking place and she had no idea when she'd get a demigod dream or if she would just have the standard 'nightmare'. of course, the last thing she did remember was back up in the floating island... plummeting to her presumed death- so perhaps she'd died or something. her dream actually started off quite nice, if she were being totally honest. her mind was being kind ot her, perhaps. because she was getting reruns of memories of her mortal half-siblings. it was an iris message with her dad (which none of the kids seemed to question), and it was also the first time chelsea (the youngest half-sibling) was seen to be walking. then, the memory flashed to tina and blake jumping on her back after barbie had ambushed them in a tickle fight.
the cute little memories danced around for a while in barbie's mind, and she enjoyed them. but then, her dream changed. she wasn't exactly sure where she was, but it was dark all around her. like a stage with no lighting except this one spotlight on her. she was dressed differently, that was for sure. she didn't really have a 'modern' vibe about her. adorned in an an ancient greece styled dress that was a light pink colour (which was perhaps historically inaccurate- but the notion was still liked by barbie) with gold bands around her arms and jewels dripping from her neck- she assumed she looked quite the version of a princess. especially with her hair curled lusciously and styled into a bun.
the spotlight on her was still there, and she stood there confused- squinting up at it. exactly what was-?
then another spotlight formed. and she did several double-takes.
in the other spotlight stood percy- aimlessly calling for her. he was adorned in a similar fashion to her. green cloth with a blue tint draped around him. even from afar, barbie could see his sparkly green eyes. he was a little bit taller than she remembered, but he was there none the less. in someway, this could perhaps be seen as a blessing.
"barbie?" he called, "where are you?"
"i'm here!" she called back.
she expected him to run over to her, but he frowned even more, as if he hadn't heard her at all. he continued calling for her, using a range of different nicknames for her. but each time she tried to call back, it didn't work. she tried running up to him, but it made no difference. she tried touching his shoulder, shaking him, but her hands went through him like he was a holograph.
suddenly, her dream glitched. or at least, that's what it looked like. her gorgeous princess-looking clothes glitched and she was back dressed in what she had been before. the same pink shirt and jeans, the same puffy silver jacket she'd received from the hunters of artemis. and percy... was gone.
"i fucking knew it," she said, "it was a trick! it was-"
"a nightmare?" chuckled a low voice.
she froze, turning around. but it was still pitch black, bar the single annoying little spotlight on her.
"it happens often," chuckled the voice, "but tell me... why you?"
"what do you mean mean, why me?" she spoke, hoping her glare was directed at the voice.
"what is so special about you... that makes a dying wish of a servant to the earth mother to haunt you with nightmares?" chuckled the voice, "an honour, i suppose. take it as one, little demigod."
"and why exactly is it an honour?" she continued, before doing a little mocking bow, "oh yes- gracious deep annoying voice- thank you for bestowing upon me an image of my boyfriend who's fucking missing and not letting me communicate with him. truly an honour. truly."
there was a loud roar. barbie guessed if there had been buildings, that perhaps they might have crumbled slightly because the sound of the roar was loud enough.
suddenly, two wispy looking white eyes opened. they were large, each about the size of a door. and they creepily blinked at her.
"you underestimate me, little demigod. perhaps you don't know who i am?"
"don't know, don't care," she spoke, inspecting her nails, trying not to show how much her heart physically hurt from the trick this weird person had pulled, "all i know is your starting to sound creepy and it's giving me flashbacks to good old 'i ate all my kids' mr kronos the tian. but i guess that's not you."
"no, certainly not," agreed the voice, pausing for a moment, "tell me, little demigod. what fears you the most?"
obviously, she didn't respond. she didn't ask to cry today.
"i assumed that would be your answer," the voice spoke, "this is your nightmare after all. i can sense it here- i know whats going on... i have the upper hand here."
she was starting to get worried now.
"enough games," she said finally, "tell me who you are- creepy eyes."
"mere mortals refer to me sometimes as the 'boogeyman', pathetic if you ask me. but no... you demigods call me epiales. the god of-"
"nightmares," she finished, her voice sounding small.
there was a dark chuckle, "i told you, little demigod. i have the upper hand."
she didn't know how long she'd been in asleep for. but she was thankful when the god of nightmares got cut off. although, by then she was already in tears. he was being truthful when he said he had the upper hand. all her fears seemed to come to her at the snap of a finger. scenes of her life played out on one big screen. first it was her younger self, travelling alone. then it was her a bit older, a time in her life where she used to think she was constantly judged. constantly being picked on- no self-confidence. then it showed more recent events. war, fear... anything the wicked god could think of. but finally, after some time, the scene dissolved.
however the sight she saw wasn't much better.
"what the fuck?" she mumbled. why was she in medea's department store. she looked around for a few moments, before her eyes widened, "piper?"
"barbie?"
"this is definitely a dream," both the daughters of aphrodite said at the same time.
"you're crying," noted piper, frowning slightly, "can you cry in dreams?"
"you tell me, i spent hades knows how long being tormented by a the god of nightmares," barbie spoke, wiping her eyes, "why are we here, anyways? and... why are you in my dreams?"
piper gave her an unimpressed look.
"i don't mean it like that piper calm down-"
"oh, good! you're both here!" smiled a woman that barbie already knew to be her mother. most people when seeing her mother have a hard time seeing features. perhaps sometimes it's freckles- but a second later they brush it off as a trick of light. or maybe somebody couldn't tell the colour of the eyes- perhaps the hair looked like it was black but... somehow it looked brown also. maybe her mother had a sharper jawline when up close, or a soft round face. but barbie was perhaps somebody who could see her mothers features clearly. even if it was just because she knew who she was attracted to. that being said. her mother, to her anyways (she had no idea what she looked like to piper), was dress elegantly in an emerald green dress with gorgeous black hair and eyes so green that she knew they were exactly like percy's.
"mom?" barbie said at the same time as piper's confused, "aphrodite?"
the goddess smiled, "you're only dreaming. the both of you. but... if anybody asks- i wasn't her. m'kay?"
"got it," nodded barbie.
piper looked shocked, probably having thousands of questions running through her mind. but barbie was used to this, standard procedures applying. y'know? although, barbie too did have a few questions herself, and she didn't like how it brought back scary memories. and you! you shall serve a worser fate! how i wonder what it's like to be forgotten and broken? i hope this curse treats you well, barbara allen, you foul little girl! yeah, she didn't like how that suddenly started ringing in her mind.
if things couldn't have been made more worse, was she remembered something aeolus had said. something about her mother trying her best? what exactly was that supposed to mean?
aphrodite held up a turquoise dress and made a face, "this isn't my colour, is it? pity, it's cute. medea really does have some lovely things here." she picked up another dress, and barbie almost cried tears- but good this time, she promises.
the dress itself was gorgeous. a blush pink colour with a v-line neckline that was perhaps a bit deep. it had puffed sleeves and the skirt looked so full and fluffy that barbie almost considered it a cloud. over the gorgeous layers of the dress, was a netting layer that had strawberries sewn all over it. it was breathtaking, and absolutely gorgeous.
"lovely, isn't it? but doesn't fit my shape," pouted aphrodite.
"but this building exploded," frowned piper.
"we both saw it."
"yes," aphrodite agreed, "i suppose that's why everything is on sale. just a memory." she sighed slightly, looking to piper, "i am sorry to have pulled you out of your dream. much more pleasant than this, i can probably guess."
piper nodded slightly.
aphrodite then turned back to barbie, her smile soft, "i... i'm sorry about what some cruel people have burdened on you. rest assured i will try talk to zeus about epiales."
"epiales?" piper wondered.
"later," barbie mumbled, rubbing her eyes just a bit more.
there was silence for a few moments as barbie looked around uncomfortably. bad memories around this place. but at least now she could speak. perhaps that was the positive.
"mom." piper said quietly, "it wasn't real. it never even happened. so why... why do i remember it so vividly?"
aphrodite smiled, although it looked quite bittersweet, "because you're my daughter- piper. you and barbie... all my children- you see possibilities much more vividly than others. you two see what could be. and it still might be- don't give up. unfortunately..." the goddess gestured around the department store- acting more serious than she'd ever seen her mom, "you have other trials to face, fist. medea will be back, along with other enemies. the doors of death are sadly opened."
"the doors of death?" barbie spoke.
"what do you mean?"
"the two of you are smart, i feel like you should know," aphrodite smiled, winking at them, "the sleeping woman, the one medea and midas called their patron. she managed to open a new entrance from the underworld."
barbie gasped, "the dead can escape through to the living world."
"not just any monsters," aphrodite spoke, "the worst, the most powerful, the ones most likely to hate the gods."
"the monsters are coming back from tartarus the same way," piper guessed, "that's why they don't stay disintegrated."
"yes, their patron- she has a special relationship with tartarus, the spirit of the pit," aphrodite held up a gold sequined top and her nose wrinkled, "no... this one looks horrible."
piper laughed uneasily, "you? you can't look anything but perfect."
"you're sweet," aphrodite said, "but beauty is about finding the right fit. the most natural fit. to be perfect, you have to feel perfect about yourself- avoid trying to be something you're not. for a goddess, that's especially hard. we can charge so easily."
"my dad through you were perfect," piper added.
barbie didn't respond to that one. because she didn't want to offend her mom, but she had a feeling that her dad though his husband was probably the most perfect thing ever... so-
"he never got over you," piper spoke.
"yes... oh tristan," aphrodite smiled, her gaze distant, "so gentle and kind, funny... and handsome. yet he had so much sadness inside."
"could we not talk about him in the past tense?" piper frowned.
"i'm sorry, dear. i didn't want to leave your father, of course. it's always so hard, but it was for the best. if he had realized who i actually was-"
"wait- he didn't know you were a goddess?" barbie asked, "but... my dad did... i-?"
"of course piper's father didn't," aphrodite spoke, "i wouldn't do that to him. for most mortals that's simply to hard to accept. thank goodness henry was somehow... i don't know really- but he came round, didn't he? took him a bit of character development- but he got round. but sometimes it can ruin your lives! aks your friend jason- lovely boy by the way, piper. his poor mother was destroyed when she found out she'd fallen in love with zeus. no, it was much better for tristan to believe i was a mortal woman who left him without explanation. a bittersweet memory than an immortal unattainable goddess. which... brings me to the bigger matter.."
she opened her hand and barbie spotted a glowing glass vial of pink liquid, "this is one of medea's kinder mixtures. it erases only early memories. when you save your father you should give him this."
"you want me to dope my dad?" piper spoke, "make him... forget everything he's been through?"
aphrodite held up the vial, the liquid cast a pink glow over her face, "your father acts confident, piper, but he walks a fine line between two worlds. he's worked his whole life to deny the old stories about gods and spirits, yet he fears those stories might be real. now he's captured by a giant... he's living in a nightmare. even if he survives... the amount of trauma. it will break him, and thus break your spirit."
"who is she?" barbie spoke, "the one controlling the giants?"
aphrodite pursed her lips, looking through piles of clothes, "you have a strong will. the both of you. i'm never given much credit among the gods. my children are laughed at. they're often smissed. seen as conceited. or perhaps shallow."
"but we're not," piper added.
"and some of us might be," barbie continued, "but that's okay. it's not as if the apollo cabin isn't like that sometimes. or literally any cabin."
...
"are you going to answer barbie's question?" piper asked.
"patience, lovelies," aphrodite smiled, "my point is that love is the most powerful motivator in the world. it spurs mortals to greatness. their noblest, bravest acts done for love."
piper pulled out her dagger and studied its reflective blade, "like helen starting the trojan war?"
"ah, katoptris," aphrodite smiled, "i'm glad you found it. i get so much flack for that war, but honestly- paris and helen were a cute couple. and the heroes of that war are immortal now- at least in the memories of men. love is powerful, my dears. it can bring even the gods to their knees. i told this to my son aeneas when he escaped from troy. he thought he had failed- he thought he was a loser! but he travelled to italy-"
"and became the forebear of rome."
"exactly. you see, my children can be quite powerful. you can be quite powerful-"
barbie scoffed.
aphrodite frowned, looking at down for a few moments, "it's true- my dear. i understand your... powers are not working. but i assure you that you are all ever so powerful. you just need to unlock it."
"are you saying i wasn't before?"
"oh you were! certainly!" nodded aphrodite, "but of course you also had the training wheels then."
"training wheels? is this spiderman homecoming or something?" frowned barbie, "what do you-"
"what i am trying to say is we are quite powerful. my lineage... is unique. i am closer to the beginning of creation than any other olympian."
"holy-" began barbie, suddenly realising.
"you rose from the sea, didn't you?"
"wasn't it standing on a seashell a bit?" barbie added.
"that painter botticelli had quite an imagination. i never stood on a seashell, thank you very much. but yes, i rose from the sea. the first thing to rise from chaos were the earth and sky- gaea and ouranos. when their son the titan kronos killed ouranos-"
"by chopping him into mini-powerful being pieces," barbie remembered, "yes i remember kronos."
aphrodite's nose wrinkled, "yes. the pieces of ouranos fell into the sea. his immortal essence created sea foam. and from that foam. i was born." she smiled, "the last child of ouranos, who was greater than the gods or the titans. so, in a strange way, i'm the eldest olympian god. as i said, love is a powerful tone. and you, my daughter, are much more than a pretty face. which is why you both know already who is waking the giants, and who has the power to open the doors into the deepest part of the earth."
aphrodite waited, as if she could sense the two of them putting the pieces together. the two of them gasped (piper's gaps was first) and the two of them said together, "gaea."
"the earth itself," barbie continued, "that's our enemy."
piper looked to aphrodite, as if hoping she would say no. but barbie already knew.
"she has slumbered for eons, but she is slowly walking. even asleep, she is powerful. but once she wakes.... we will be doomed. you must defeat the giants before that happens and lull gaea back into her slumber. otherwise the rebellion has only begun. the dead will continue to rise. monsters will regenerate with even greater speed. the giants will lay waste to the birthplace of the gods. and if they do that, all civilization will burn.
"but gaea? mother earth?"
"do not underestimate her," aphrodite warned, "she is a cruel deity. she orchestrated ouranos' death. she gave kronos the sickle and urged him to kill his own father. while the titans ruled the world, she slumbered in peace. but when the gods overthrew them, gaea woke again in all her anger and gave birth to a new race- the giants- to destroy olympus once and for all."
"and so this is happening again," barbie said, "the rise of the giants."
aphrodite nodded, "now you know. what will you both do?"
"the both of us?"
"what are we supposed to do?" barbie spoke, raising an eyebrow, "fight evil and sweet-talk gaea into going back to sleep wearing pretty dresses?"
"i wish that would work," aphrodite said, "but no, you will have to find your own strengths, and fight for what you love. like my favoured ones, helen and paris. like my son aeneas."
"but helen and paris died," piper said.
"and aeneas became a hera," the goddess smiled, "the first great hero of rome. the result will depend on the both of you, but i will tell you this: the nine greatest demigods must be gathered to defeat the giants, and that effort will not succeed without you both. when the two sides meet... you will be the mediator, piper. you will determine if there is friendship or bloodshed. and barbie. you will be the glue. you may not think it- but you will keep them together."
"wait- what two sides?" piper spoke, and barbie watched as her body began to shimmer slightly.
"piper, i must send you back to your dreamscape," the goddess said, "i apologize, but i must speak alone with barbie."
"wha-" piper began, but before she could finish, she vanished. and barbie stared at her mother, utterly confused.
"is this meant to be a mother-daughter bonding experience?" barbie finally spoke, looking around in confusion. the scenery had changed. and the two of them were sat with a nice picnic blanket and basket on half-blood hill.
"more so... of..." aphrodite sighed, "i am sorry to say i cannot do much."
"do much?" she wondered.
"it's a sad thought," sighed aphrodite, her serene smile turning to a frown, her eyes watering slightly, "i pride myself on being the goddess of love. i do. i am the goddess of love. i am the goddess of beauty and i see it fit to help my children. i... i will admit-" she winced slightly, "i am not always the best mother. no god, goddess or deity is. we sometimes ignore you, we don't care for you, we leave you sometimes with mortal parents who hate you. but... as the goddess of love- i feel like there is always one thing i can do for my children if they wish for it. for them to find love. even if that is just companionship of a friend, or a lover..."she trailed off, and barbie's confusion and questions that swirled around her mind diminished. her mother, the immortal goddess of love and beauty, was crying.
"m-mom?"
"i pride myself on being able to make you happy in one point in your life," sighed aphrodite, looking to the bittersweet sunset, "i pride myself on being able to at least give you something that will last for as long as you live.... such short lives. you face monsters, bullies, discrimination... you only have so much to live on the earth before you go to the underworld. you fight battles, wars, unjust laws. but i- i can't even give you something you'll cherish."
"what do you-?"
aphrodite turned back to her, and barbie saw her mother glitch slightly, a dead look in her mothers eyes. small dark circles, as if something was stressing her out. tears running down her face, "you have had a hard life, barbara allen. you're my daughter- you are strong. i've seen you brave so much. i watch over all my children. i see the struggles you all face. you are all ever so brave- ever so smart and intelligent. some gods don't see how powerful you truly all are. and i am sorry i couldn't stop it. i am sorry- please do not blame me. this... whatever it is- i am sorry that you have to face it. the pain and torture..." she gave a watery smile, brushing her tears away before her mothers palm touched her face, running over her cheek, a proud smile on her face, "do not lose hope. never- ever- lose hope. i will find a way over this- even if it seems like forever. and you will too."
barbie sat next to her mother in shock, her head feeling fuzzy. aphrodite smiled slightly, looking like she had before, "i do not agree with hera often- but she took a bold risk- and i agree the exchange that happened must be done. zeus has kept the two sides apart for too long. only together will you have the power to save olympus. i will find a way to fix this curse of yours," she smiled, "i love you and all my children so much. and i assure you- i would never put you in such misery as you think i will..." she smiled for the last time, "i hope you enjoy the clothes i picked out."
barbie woke up to a table at a sidewalk cafe. for a second, she did consider that she was dreaming. but she touched her face, and realised she wasn't crying. the air was brisk, but not as unpleasant as she thought it would be. at the other tables, a mix of bicyclists, business people, and college kids sat chatting and drinking coffee. barbie looked around a bit more. it was california. she was sure. she looked around, noticing her friend sitting around the table- all in new clothes.
"mom!" she yelled louder than she was meant to.
jason flinched, bumping his knee against the table- waking them all up. cherry squeaked (although that might have been from goldie) with leo cussing loudly in spanish as piper sat upright, looking alarmed with coach hedge obviously yelled, "die! fight who? where?"
"falling!" leo announced as he grabbed the table.
"no- no we're not!" barbie spoke, "i-"
"what are you wearing?" cherry gasped, pointing at barbie, "it's so pretty!"
barbie looked down and nearly had a heart attack. (she's exaggerating. sort of). there she was, in the exact same dress she'd seen. the strawberry dress she'd seen in her dream. she wore her pearl bracelet (her sword heartless, in bracelet form) and it gleamed. even though there was a wind, she never felt it against a skin- in fact, she felt quite warm and cosy. but judging by the fact the dress would probably be used for summer, she guessed this was probably her mothers doing with a warming charm or something like that. she looked to her feet, noticing black combat boots. her hair was a bit wavy, and she grabbed a spoon and looked at her face. simple makeup, little bit of gloss- she rather liked it.
"what am i wearing? what are you wearing?" barbie spoke, pointing to the rest of them.
piper blushed slightly, looking down at her own clothes. from what barbie could see, she wore what looked like a mesh white top with gold little sun patterns on it with a black crop top underneath and what looked to be black jeans.
"piper is that a crystal necklace?" wondered cherry, pointing to pink looking crystal around her neck.
"i have rings too!" piper grinned, pointing to her fingers which were littered were gorgeous little stones.
there was a bit more confusion before cherry let out a squeal as goldie ran along her hand and landed on the table. "it's all recycled!"
cherry wore the widest smile as she pointed at the larger baggy jeans she wore. they were blocky- different colours of jeans in square patterns, and her top was half of cherry's old shirt with fabric barbie swore was from the camo pants the hunters had offered her. to top it off, she wore a large baggy black jumper, her hair freshly braided again and a glow surrounding her.
"isn't goldie the most dapper looking thing!" grinned cherry, pointing to goldie who war a small gold bow-tie. the field mouse seemed quite excited about it, and was in fact humming the song "fashion is my passion".
"aphrodite stikes again, hm?" grinned leo, "you guys are gonna be the best dressed warriors in town!"
"hey leo," jason nudged his arm, "you look at yourself recently?"
"what? .... oh-"
leo was wearing maroon checkered pants that looked rather flowy and wore a white colored shirt that was loosely tucked in- making his scrawniness look somewhat appreciated. it was paired with a tool belt (which somehow worked) and leo looked rather embarrassed.
"looking sharp," giggled cherry as goldie the field mouse danced around the table.
"i think you guys look alright," coach hedge, "course... i look better."
the satyr was what barbie liked to call a pastel nightmare. aphrodite had given him a baggy canary yellow suit with two-tone shoes that fit over his hooves. he had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose coloured shirt, a baby blue tie, and blue carnations on his lapel which quickly disappeared when hedge ate them.
"well," jason said, "at least i didn't... get that much."
barbie knew that was probably because aphrodite had taken a liking to pipers soon-to-be boyfriend. he was simply dressed in jeans and a purple shirt with new track shoes and freshly trimmed hair.
"anyways," piper spoke in a flustered tone, "how did we get here?"
"oh that would be mellie," hedge said, chewing happily on his carnations, "those winds shot us halfway across the country, i'd guess. we would've been smashed flat on impact, but mellie's last gift—a nice soft breeze—cushioned our fall."
"and she got fired for us," leo said. "man, we suck."
"we kind of do," agreed barbie, to which cherry elbowed her for, "hey! don't elbow me in this dress! it deserves no pain, it's too pretty!"
"ah, she'll be fine," hedge said. "besides, she couldn't help herself. i've got that effect on nymphs. i'll send her a message when we're through with this quest and help her figure something out. that is one aura i could settle down with and raise a herd of baby goats."
"i'm going to be sick," piper said. "anyone else want coffee?"
"coffee!" hedge's grin was stained blue from the flower. "i love coffee!"
"you see this is why i get along with you, coach hedge," nodded barbie, "coffee is universal."
"um," jason said, "but—money? our packs?"
barbie looked down. at their feet were their packs. she picked up hers and looked at piper who seemed to be holding a pink potion- the amnesia potion. barbie's held the same things as it did before. so she guessed pipers had the-
"holy shit that's a lot of fucking money!" piper whispered, bringing out a fat wad of cash.
"we feast like royalty, my friends!" cackled leo, looking ever so excited.
"waitress!" hedge called. "six double espressos, and whatever these guys want. put it on the girl's tab."
it didn't take them long to figure out where they were. the menus said "café verve, walnut creek, ca." and according to the waitress, it was 9 a.m. on december 21, the winter solstice, which gave them three hours until enceladus's deadline. they didn't have to wonder where mount diablo was, either. they could see it on the horizon, right at the end of the street. after the rockies, mount diablo didn't look very large, nor was it covered in snow. it seemed downright peaceful, its golden creases marbled with gray-green trees. but size was deceptive with mountains, barbie knew. it was probably much bigger up close. and appearances were deceptive too.
here they were—back in california—supposedly pipers home (piper had explained that to them, anyways)—with sunny skies, mild weather, laid-back people, and a plate of chocolate chip scones with coffee. and only a few miles away, somewhere on that peaceful mountain, a super powerful, super evil giant was about to have her father for lunch. leo pulled something out of his pocket—the old crayon drawing aeolus had given him. aphrodite must've thought it was important if she'd magically transferred it to his new outfit.
"what is that?" piper asked.
leo folded it up gingerly again and put it away.
"nothing. you don't want to see my kindergarten artwork."
"baby leo drew this?" teased barbie, putting on a baby voice, "widdle
"it's more than that," jason guessed. "aeolus said it was the key to our success."
leo shook his head. "not today. he was talking about... later."
"how can you be sure?" piper asked.
"trust me," leo said. "now—what's our game plan?"
coach hedge belched. he'd already had three espressos and a plate of doughnuts, along with two napkins and another flower from the vase on the table. he would've eaten the silverware, except piper had slapped his hand.
"climb the mountain," hedge said. "kill everything except piper's dad. leave."
"thank you, general eisenhower," jason grumbled. "hey, i'm just saying!"
"guys," piper said. "there's more you need to know."
it was tricky, because she couldn't mention her mom; but she told them she'd figured some things out in her dreams. she told them about their real enemy: gaea. "gaea?" leo shook his head. "isn't that mother nature? she's supposed to have, like, flowers in her hair and birds singing around her and deer and rabbits doing her laundry."
barbie glanced over to cherry, who looked pale, looking down at her hot chocolate with a frown- or a scared look. barbie wasn't sure.
"leo, that's snow white," piper said.
"okay, but—" "listen, cupcake."
coach hedge dabbed the espresso out of his goatee. "piper's telling us some serious stuff, here. gaea's no softie. i'm not even sure i could take her."
leo whistled.
"really?" hedge nodded. "this earth lady—she and her old man the sky were nasty customers."
"ouranos," piper said. she couldn't help looking up at the blue sky, wondering if it had eyes.
"right," hedge said. "so ouranos, he's not the best dad. he throws their first kids, the cyclopes, into tartarus. that makes gaea mad, but she bides her time. then they have another set of kids—the twelve titans—and gaea is afraid they'll get thrown into prison too. so she goes up to her son kronos—"
"the big bad dude," leo said. "the one they defeated last summer."
"yes leo, that is exactly how i would describe kronos," barbie said in deadpanned tone, "i love the fact you forgot he ate his kids and basically was the biggest asshole to ever exist."
"right. and gaea's the one who gives him the scythe, and tells him, 'hey, why don't i call your dad down here? and while he's talking to me, distracted, you can cut him to pieces. then you can take over the world. wouldn't that be great?'"
nobody said anything.
"definitely not snow white," she decided.
"nah, kronos was a bad guy," hedge said. "but gaea is literally the mother of all bad guys. she's so old and powerful, so huge, that it's hard for her to be fully conscious. most of the time, she sleeps, and that's the way we like her—snoring."
"but she talked to me," leo said. "how can she be asleep?"
"maybe she had too much wine and got sleepy," suggested barbie in a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood.
it did not lighten the mood.
barbie looked down at her coffee and sipped it silently.
gleeson brushed crumbs off his canary yellow lapel. he was on his sixth espresso now, and his pupils were as big as quarters. "even in her sleep, part of her consciousness is active—dreaming, keeping watch, doing little things like causing volcanoes to explode and monsters to rise. even now, she's not fully awake. believe me, you don't want to see her fully awake."
"but she's getting more powerful," piper said. "she's causing the giants to rise. and if their king comes back—this guy porphyrion—"
"he'll raise an army to destroy the gods," jason put in. "starting with hera. it'll be another war. and gaea will wake up fully."
gleeson nodded. "which is why it's a good idea for us to stay off the ground as much as possible."
leo looked warily at mount diablo. "so ... climbing a mountain. that would be bad."
piper's heart sank. first, she'd been asked to betray her friends. now they were trying to help her rescue her dad even though they knew they were walking into a trap. the idea of fighting a giant had been scary enough. but the idea that gaea was behind it—a force more powerful than a god or titan ... "guys, i can't ask you to do this," piper said. "this is too dangerous."
"you kidding?" gleeson belched and showed them his blue carnation smile. "who's ready to beat stuff up?"
barbie believes the opinion was unanimous.
rosie speaks!
hello again— right so idk
what to say rlly so have fun w
this chapter we're are v
close to the final act of this
book (mark of athena)
and i'm very excited yet slightly
nervous ?? idk it's gonna be
fun.
ily all so much !! stay
safe and drink some water
you pesky fucks !! ly !!
thoughts ??
word count: 5,926 words