EDEN HAD TO admit, despite the obvious chemistry that she and Perfect Jason had had while pew pewing giants, she was really not hysterical over him practically dying.
Meanwhile, Kaleidoscope kept calling his name as she held him. He'd been unconscious for two minutes now. His body was steaming, his eyes rolled back in his head. He looked real fucking dead.
"It's no use, child." Useless Whore stood over them in her simple black robes and shawl.
Eden hadn't seen the goddess go nuclear. Thank fucking Jesus. 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 Pinecone Face knelt by Kaleidoscope's side, her hand on Perfect Jason's forehead.
Lia glared up at the goddess. "This is your fault. Do something!"
"Do not address me that way, girl. I am the queen—"
"Fix him!"
Princess Peach's eyes flickered with power. Power that she didn't deserve. Power that Eden wanted. "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 . . ." Fire Boy frowned. "True form is bad, right? So why did you do it?"
"I unleashed my power to help you, fool!" Princess Peach 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!" Pinecone Face shouted. "You've killed him!"
Fire Boy 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."
"Yeah," Eden smirked. "Be useful for once."
Princess Peach was about to fucking go off on her, until Kaleidoscope announced, "He's breathing!"
"Impossible," Princess Peach said, turning to her. "I wish it were true, child, but no mortal has ever—"
"Jason," Kaleidoscope called. "Listen to me. You can do this. Come back. You're going to be fine."
Nothing happened. Gods, she was delusional. Pretty, but delusional.
"Healing is not a power of Aphrodite," Princess Peach said regretfully. "Even I cannot fix this, girl. His mortal spirit—"
"Jason," Kaleidoscope 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!" Princess Peach said.
Kaleidoscope wrapped him in a hug until he groaned, "Crushing me."
"Sorry," she said, laughing and crying. Well, that was that.
Princess Peach gripped her brother's hand. "How do you feel?"
"Hot," he muttered. "Mouth is dry. And I saw something . . . really terrible."
"That was Hera," Lia grumbled. "Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon."
"Princess Peach ass bitch," Eden crossed her arms. "Always needing someone to save you. And then you torture said people that save your life."
"That's it, Eden Fairchild, Thalia Grace," said the useless whore. "I will turn you both into an aardvark, so help me—"
"Stop it, you three," Kaleidoscope said.
Eden turned to look at her. Absolute anger flooded her, making her feel as if she was drowning in it — but how could she know what that feels like? She's the daughter of Poseidon, sadly. "You wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for me," she said quietly. "Neither would she. Why can't she lay off my — our — case? Why can't you do the same thing? Why do I have to listen to you? It's not like you've paid any special attention to me during this quest."
Kaleidoscope stared at her for a second. "Eden, stop."
Eden opened her mouth, but she couldn't say a word. Eden sent her a glare and looked away from her, crossing her arms and staring at her rings. Her teeth were biting down and she could taste blood. Her own cold, powerful, gold-lined blood.
That girl should be thankful that Eden had saved her life multiple times, and saved her dad. How stupid children of Aphrodite were.
"Now . . ." Kaleidoscope faced Lia and Useless Whore. "Hera — Your Majesty — we couldn't have rescued you without the Hunters. And Thalia, you never would've seen Jason again — I wouldn't have met him — if it weren't for Hera. You three make nice, because we've got bigger problems."
Eden wanted to snort. Tough to do when she couldn't talk. Fuck Kaleidoscope, honestly.
Pinecone Face grunted. "You've got spirit, Piper." She pulled a silver card from her parka and tucked it into the pocket of Kaleidoscope's snowboarding jacket. "You ever want to be a Hunter, call me. We could use you."
Traitor. Eden continued to bite down on her lip and in her mouth, and thinking of a fucking escape plan. She didn't want to stand here any longer.
Princess Peach crossed her arms. "Fortunately for this Hunter, you have a point, daughter of Aphrodite." She assessed Kaleidoscope, as if seeing her clearly for the first time, which was how she looked at everyone. "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."
"Yeah," Fire Boy said, "I don't suppose that Porphyrion guy just melted and died, huh?"
"No," Princess Peach 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," Perfect Jason said. "But to where?"
Princess Peach didn't answer. Fucking dickhead damsel in distress. Eden wanted to pulverize her, take her time with all of the weapons that she had. And if that put Eden in hell, well, at least she'd have a throne. She didn't want to be in that Underworld bullshit. She'd rather be sitting on a throne with Satan at her feet.
"I need to find Annabeth," Pinecone Face said. "She has to know what's happened here."
Eden stole Lia's gaze, pointed at herself, and clapped her fingers over her thumb. Lia sent her a quick nod.
"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 Princess Peach. "You'll see them there safely? It's the least you can do."
"It's not your place to tell me—"
"Queen Hera," Kaleidoscope interceded.
The goddess sighed. "Fine. Yes. Just off with you, Hunter!"
Lia gave Perfect Jason and Eden a hug, telling Eden to go out and eat with her, 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 Princess Peach. The night sky was clear and starry. The wind rustled in the redwoods. It seemed nice here. Like when Eden and Connor would sneak out and get on top of a building and drink and stare at the stars.
"Jason, what happened to you here?" Kaleidoscope 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?"
Perfect Jason shook his head uneasily. "It's still murky. The wolves . . ."
"You were given a destiny," Useless Whore said. "You were given into my service."
Perfect 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," Useless Whore 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?" Kaleidoscope asked.
"She means Roman," Perfect Jason said. "Demigods are left here. We meet the she-wolf goddess, Lupa, the same immortal wolf that raised Romulus and Remus."
Useless Whore nodded. "And if you are strong enough, you live."
"But . . ." Fire Boy looked mystified. "What happened after that? I mean, Jason never made it to camp."
"Not to Camp Half-Blood, no," Useless Whore agreed.
"You went somewhere else." Kaleidoscope said, as if that hadn't been obvious. "That's where you've been all these years. Somewhere else for demigods — but where?"
Perfect Jason turned to the goddess. "The memories are coming back, but not the location. You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"No," Useless Whore 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," Perfect Jason said, "but you're holding back information."
Eden let out a snort. They'd all turned to her, but her gaze was on Princess Peach, smirking. What was the point of being a god, then? If you can't even save yourself?
Eden would be able to save herself, if she was a god. But she wasn't. And that sucked.
"Giving you answers would make those answers invalid," Useless Whore said dumbly. "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 . . ."
Eden raised an eyebrow. I've surprised you. As if she wasn't the most powerful person here right now, as if she didn't have the power to kill them all, even an immortal goddess. As if the blood of Achilles and Poseidon didn't run in her body, as if the cold bitterness put on her didn't make her into the person she was now.
The damsel in distress 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," Perfect Jason grumped. "And I suppose you destroyed my nice storm spirit horse, so we'll have to walk home?"
Eden wanted a laugh to let out. She could summon pegasi. As if she wasn't powerful enough. She could do it without speaking, but, oh, how she wanted these people to suffer.
Useless Whore 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. Farewell, demigods, for now."
The world turned upside down, and Eden 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 Kaleidoscope had one foot in Drew's pizza, which would've made Eden snort if she could talk. Sixty campers rose at once, gawking at them in astonishment.
Whatever Useless Whore had done to shoot them across the country, it wasn't good for Eden's stomach. She could barely control her nausea after so much practice. Fire Boy 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.
Whatever. They didn't deserve anything — well. Some did. Most of them, though . . .
"Eden? Jason?" Chiron trotted forward. No doubt the old man had seen thousands of years' worth of weird stuff, but even he looked totally flabbergasted. "What — How—"
Eden flipped her hair over her shoulder and winked at Travis and Connor, who were behind her.
"Hi," Kaleidoscope said, trying to be casual but sounding like a nervous bitch. "We're back."
hi xoxo i literally have not been writing at all but it's fine !!! everything is fine um anyways i finally finished my pin board for this book and it might be spoilers but it's just mostly in the pipeden section so if you don't want spoilers then you could just like not look in there until later !!
https://www.pinterest.com/coocoobananas0/bloodshot-fic/
<3 maybel