𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧. ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒
"𝙹𝙰𝚂𝙾𝙽!" 𝙻𝙾𝚁𝙽𝙰 kept calling his name as she shook his shoulders, though she'd almost lost hope.
He'd been unconscious for two minutes now. His body was steaming, his eyes rolled back in his head. She couldn't tell if he was even breathing.
"It's no use, child." Hera stood over them in her simple black robes and shawl. Lorna hadn't seen the goddess go nuclear. Thankfully she'd closed her eyes, but she could see the aftereffects. Every vestige of winter was gone from the valley. No signs of battle, either. The monsters had been vaporized. The ruins had been restored to what they were before- still ruins, but with no evidence that they'd been overrun by a horde of wolves, storm spirits, and six-armed ogres. Even the Hunters had been revived. Most waited at a respectful distance in the meadow, but Thalia knelt by Lorna's side, her hand on Jason's forehead.
Thalia glared up at the goddess. "This is your fault. Do something!"
"Do not address me that way, girl. I am the queen- "
"Fix him!"
Hera's eyes flickered with power. "I did warn him. I would never intentionally hurt the boy. He was to be my champion. I told them to close their eyes before I revealed my true form."
"Um ..." Leo frowned. "True form is bad, right? So why did you do it?"
"I unleashed my power to help you, fool!" Hera cried. "I became pure energy so I could disintegrate the monsters, restore this place, and even save these miserable Hunters from the ice."
"But mortals can't look upon you in that form!" Thalia shouted. "You've killed him!"
"Bring him back! He's part of the eight, please." Lorna's voice cracked.
Leo shook his head in dismay. "That's what our prophecy meant. Death unleash, through Hera's rage. Come on, lady. You're a goddess. Do some voodoo magic on him! Bring him back."
Lorna focused on Jason's face. "He's breathing!" she announced.
"Impossible," Hera said. "I wish it were true, child, but no mortal has ever—"
"Jason," Piper called, putting every bit of her willpower into his name. "Listen to me. You can do this. Come back. You're going to be fine."
Nothing happened. Had she imagined his breath stirring?
"Healing is not a power of Aphrodite," Hera said regretfully. "Even I cannot fix this, girl. His mortal spirit- "
"Jason," Piper said again. "Wake up."
He gasped, and his eyes flew open. For a moment they were full of light- glowing pure gold. Then the light faded and his eyes were normal again. "What- what happened?"
"Impossible!" Hera said.
Thalia gripped her brother's hand. "How do you feel?"
"Hot," he muttered. "Mouth is dry. And I saw something... really terrible."
"That was Hera," Thalia grumbled. "Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon."
"That's it, Thalia Grace," said the goddess. "I will turn you into an aardvark, so help me- "
"Stop it, you two," Piper said. Amazingly, they both shut up.
Lorna helped Jason to his feet and gave him the last nectar from their supplies. "You jerk. I thought you were dead. Well technically you were. Did you see Hades? Or the fields- "
"Okay, you two. Hera, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for Thalia, and we'd be dead if it weren't for Hera. You two make nice, because we've got bigger problems." Piper said.
Hera and Thalia both glared at Piper, and for three long seconds. Finally Thalia grunted.
"You've got spirit, Piper." She pulled a silver card from her parka and tucked it into the pocket of Piper's snowboarding jacket. "You ever want to be a Hunter, call me. We could use you."
Hera crossed her arms. "Fortunately for this Hunter, you have a point, daughter of Aphrodite."
She assessed Piper, as if seeing her clearly for the time. "You wondered, Piper, why I chose you for this quest, why I didn't reveal your secret in the beginning, even when I knew Enceladus was using you. I must admit, until this moment I was not sure. Something told me you would be vital to the quest. Now I see I was right. You're even stronger than I realized. And you are correct about the dangers to come. We must work together."
Leo stepped in. "Yeah," he said, "I don't suppose that Porphyrion guy just melted and died, huh?"
"No," Hera agreed. "By saving me, and saving this place, you prevented Gaea from waking. You have bought us some time. But Porphyrion has risen. He simply knew better than to stay here, especially since he has not yet regained his full power. Giants can only be killed by a combination of god and demigod, working together. Once you freed me- "
"He ran away," Jason said. "But to where?"
Hera didn't answer, but a sense of dread washed over Lorna. She remembered what Porphyrion had said about killing the Olympians by pulling up their roots. Greece. She looked at Thalia's grim expression, and guessed the Hunter had come to the same conclusion.
"I need to find Annabeth," Thalia said. "She has to know what's happened here."
"Thalia ..." Jason gripped her hand. "We never got to talk about this place, or- "
"I know." Her expression softened. "I lost you here once. I don't want to leave you again. But we'll meet soon. I'll rendezvous with you back at Camp Half-Blood."
She glanced at Hera. "You'll see them there safely? It's the least you can do."
"It's not your place to tell me- "
"Queen Hera," Piper interceded.
The goddess sighed. "Fine. Yes. Just off with you, Hunter!"
Thalia gave Jason and Lorna a hug and said her good-byes. When the Hunters were gone, the courtyard seemed strangely quiet. The dry reflecting pool showed no sign of the earthen tendrils that had brought back the giant king or imprisoned Hera. The night sky was clear and starry. The wind rustled in the redwoods.
"Jason, what happened to you here?" Lorna asked. "I mean - I know your mom abandoned you here. But you said it was sacred ground for demigods. Why? What happened after you were on your own?"
Jason shook his head uneasily. "It's still murky. The wolves ..."
"You were given a destiny," Hera said. "You were given into my service."
Jason scowled. "Because you forced my mom to do that. You couldn't stand knowing Zeus had two children with my mom. Knowing that he'd fallen for her twice. I was the price you demanded for leaving the rest of my family alone. "
"It was the right choice for you as well, Jason," Hera insisted. "The second time your mother managed to snare Zeus's affections, it was because she imagined him in a different aspect- the aspect of Jupiter. Never before had this happened- two children, Greek and Roman, born into the same family. You had to be separated from Thalia. This is where all demigods of your kind start their journey."
"Of his kind?" Piper asked.
"She means Roman," Jason said. "Demigods are left here. We meet the she-wolf goddess, Lupa, the same immortal wolf that raised Romulus and Remus."
Hera nodded. "And if you are strong enough, you live."
"But ..." Leo looked mystified. "What happened after that? I mean, Jason never made it to camp."
"Not to Camp Half-Blood, no," Hera agreed.
Lorna felt as if the sky were spiraling above her, making her dizzy. "You went somewhere else. That's where you've been all these years. Somewhere else for demigods- but where?"
Jason turned to the goddess. "The memories are coming back, but not the location. You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"No," Hera said. "That is part of your destiny, Jason. You must find your own way back. But when you do ... you will unite two great powers. You will give us hope against the giants, and more importantly- against Gaea herself."
"You want us to help you," Jason said, "but you're holding back information."
"Giving you answers would make those answers invalid," Hera said. "That is the way of the Fates. You must forge your own path for it to mean anything. Already, you four have surprised me. I would not have thought it possible ..."
The goddess shook her head. "Suffice to say, you have performed well, demigods. But this is only the beginning. Now you must return to Camp Half-Blood, where you will begin planning for the next phase."
"Which you won't tell us about," Jason grumped. "And I suppose you destroyed my nice storm spirit horse, so we'll have to walk home?"
Hera waved aside the question. "Storm spirits are creatures of chaos. I did not destroy that one, though I have no idea where he went, or whether you'll see him again. But there is an easier way home for you. As you have done me a great service, so I can help you- at least this once."
"Wait. Hera. I know Percy, Annabeth and I haven't been nice to you but- "
"I'm sorry, Lorna. But, I think you'll find out the answer soon. Farewell, demigods, for now."
The world turned upside down, and Lorna almost blacked out. When she could see straight again, she was back at camp, in the dining pavilion, in the middle of dinner. They were standing on the Aphrodite cabin's table, and Piper had one foot in Drew's pizza. Sixty campers rose at once, gawking at them in astonishment. Whatever Hera had done to shoot them across the country, it wasn't good for Lorna's stomach. She could barely control her nausea. Leo wasn't so lucky. He jumped off the table, ran to the nearest bronze brazier, and threw up in it- which was probably not a great burnt offering for the gods.
"Lorna?" Chiron trotted forward. No doubt the old centaur had seen thousands of years' worth of weird stuff, but even he looked totally flabbergasted. "What- How- ?"
The Aphrodite campers stared up at them with their mouths open. Lorna figured they must look awful.
As casually as she could, Lorna said. "Miss us?"
𝙻𝙾𝚁𝙽𝙰 𝙳𝙸𝙳𝙽'𝚃 remember much about the rest of the night. They told their story and answered a million questions from the other campers, but finally Chiron saw how tired they were and ordered them to bed. It felt so good to sleep on a real mattress, and Lorna was so exhausted, she crashed immediately.
The next morning she woke in her bunk, feeling reinvigorated. The sun came through the windows along with a pleasant breeze. It might've been spring instead of winter. The familiar scent of the sea breeze entered her nose. She rubbed her eyes and made her way to Percy's bunk to wake him up, before realising he wasn't there. She sighed and got ready. Birds sang. Monsters howled in the woods. Breakfast smells wafted from the dining pavilion- bacon, pancakes, and all sorts of wonderful things.
As Lorna walked out of her cabin, she saw Piper. She caught up with her and told her, "You know, now that you've survived one quest, which is more than Drew has ever gone on, you can challenge her for her spot."
"Yes, but I might not win."
"Come on! You were so good with that knife. You fought like a menace. Do it."
"Really?" Piper asked.
"Heck yeah! Just trust me. Don't you want the Aphrodite cabin to be known for more than just being pretty and handsome?"
Piper smiled warmly and took her suggestion.
At the commons area, Lorna found Jason relaxing on a bench, a basketball between his feet. He was sweaty from working out, but he looked great in his orange tank top and shorts. His various scars and bruises from the quest were healing, thanks to some medical attention from the Apollo cabin. His arms and legs were well muscled and tan- distracting as always. His close-cropped blond hair caught the afternoon light so it looked like it was turning to gold, Midas style.
"Hey," he said.
She sat next to him and they watched the campers going back and forth. A couple of Demeter girls were playing tricks on two of the Apollo guys- making grass grow around their ankles as they shot baskets. Over at the camp store, the Hermes kids were putting up a sign that read: flying shoes, slightly used, 50% off today! Ares kids were lining their cabin with fresh barbed wire. The Hypnos cabin was snoring away. A normal day at camp.
"Get any sleep?" she asked him.
He looked at her as if she'd been reading his thoughts. "Not much. Dreams."
"About your past?"
He nodded. She didn't push him. If he wanted to talk, that was fine, but she knew him better than to press the subject. Jason spun his basketball.
"It's not good news," he warned. "My memories aren't good for- for any of us."
Lorna sighed. "It's great that I don't get dreams anymore."
"Why? Did you take some magic potion? Or do the Gods just think you aren't worthy of any."
"The only thing I'm not worthy of is a place in hell."
"Sure, angel," Jason mocked. He got up and brushed off his shorts. "Leo says he's got something to show us out in the woods. You coming?"
"No," Lorna said sarcastically. "I'm just going to stay here."
She stood up and started to walk forward, looking back, only to see Jason standing in the same spot, with a look of admiration on his face. "Let's go," she told Jason. "We've got adventures to plan."