[act four; chapter fifteen - chaos and mania]
Distance was shorter in the Labyrinth, confusing really. Still, by the time Rachel got them back to Times Square (thank the gods), Andromeda felt like they'd pretty much run all the way from New Mexico. They climbed out of the Marriott basement and stood on the sidewalk in the bright summer daylight, squinting at the traffic and crowds.
She couldn't decide which seemed less real—New York or the crystal cave where they'd just watched a god die. Maybe it was a mix of both. Yeah, probably that.
Percy led the way into an alley, but, for some reason, he kept her close to him at all times, claiming he needed to find someone he could get an echo. Then he whistled as loud as he could, five times.
A minute later, Rachel gasped. "They're beautiful!"
A flock of pegasi descended from the sky, swooping between the skyscrapers. Blackjack was in the lead, followed by four of his white friends.
"Yeah," Percy told him. "I'm lucky that way. Listen, we need a ride to camp quick."
Andromeda wasn't sure what they were saying, and she didn't feel like using more energy to read their thoughts or anything fancy like that.
The Pegasus Guido groaned and complained, but eventually he agreed to carry Tyson. Everybody started saddling up—except Rachel.
"Well," she told Percy, "I guess this is it."
He nodded uncomfortably. They both knew she couldn't go to camp. He glanced at Andromeda, who was pretending to be very busy in a hushed conversation with Blackjack. He liked that the two got along. "Thanks, Rachel," he said. "We couldn't have done it without you."
"I wouldn't have missed it. I mean, except for almost dying, and Pan..." Her voice faltered.
"He said something about your father," Percy remembered. "What did he mean?"
Rachel twisted the strap on her backpack. "My dad...My dad's job. He's kind of a famous businessman."
"You mean...you're rich?"
"Well, yeah."
"So that's how you got the chauffeur to help us? You just said your dad's name and—"
"Yes," Rachel cut him off. "Percy...my dad's a land developer. He flies all over the world, looking for tracts of undeveloped land." She took a shaky breath. "The wild. He—he buys it up. I hate it, but he ploughs it down and builds ugly subdivisions and shopping centres. And now that I've seen Pan...Pan's death—"
"Hey, you can't blame yourself for that."
"You don't know the worst of it. I—I don't like to talk about my family. I didn't want you to know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
"No," he said. "It's cool. Look, Rachel, you did awesome. You led us through the maze. You were so brave. That's the only thing I'm going to judge you on. I don't care what your dad does."
Rachel looked at him gratefully. "Well...if you ever feel like hanging out with a mortal again...you could call me or something."
"Uh, yeah. Sure."
She knit her eyebrows. He guessed he sounded unenthusiastic or something, but that's not how he meant it. He just wasn't sure what to say with all his friends standing around. And he guessed his feelings had gotten pretty messed up the last couple of days.
"I mean...I'd like that," Percy said.
"My number's not in the book," she said.
"I've got it."
"Still on your hand? No way."
"No. I kinda...memorised it."
Her smile came back slowly, but a lot happier. "See you later, Percy Jackson. Go save the world for me, okay?"
Briefly, he could hear a small, mocking mutter of, "Go save the world for me, okay? Gods, not like he hasn't done it before."
She walked off down Seventh Avenue and disappeared into the crowds.
When Percy got back to the horses, Nico was having trouble. His Pegasus kept shying away from him, reluctant to let him mount.
"Go without me!" Nico said. "I don't want to go back to that camp anyway."
"Nico," Percy said, "we need your help."
He folded his arms and scowled. Then Andromeda put her hand on his shoulder.
"Nico," she said. "Please?"
Slowly, his expression softened. "All right," he said reluctantly. "For you. but I'm not staying."
The son of Poseidon raised an eyebrow at Andromeda, like, How come all of a sudden Nico listens to you? She scowled at him, and as she turned around flipped him the bird.
At last they got everybody on a Pegasus. They shot into the air (Andromeda reluctantly—although she was secretly enjoying it—had her arms wrapped around Percy the whole time), and soon they were over the East river with Long Island spread out before them.
—🧵—
They landed in the middle of the cabin area and were immediately met by Chiron, the pot-bellied satyr Silenus, and a couple of Apollo cabin archers. Chiron raised an eyebrow when he saw Nico, but if Andromeda expected him to be surprised by their latest news about Quintus being Daedalus, or Kronos rising, she was mistaken. But then again, she had a feeling about both as well.
"I feared as much," Chiron said. "We must hurry. Hopefully you have slowed down the Titan lord, but his vanguard will still be coming through. They will be anxious for blood. Most of our defenders are already in place. Come!"
"Wait a moment," Silenus demanded. "What of the search for Pan? You are almost three weeks overdue, Grover Underwood! Your searcher's licence is revoked!"
"Is now really the time for this?" Andromeda asked, though her eyes weren't on him, and neither were Donnie's. They were too busy looking for their older brothers to really pay attention.
Grover took a deep breath. He stood up straight and looked Silenus in the eye. "Searcher's licence don't matter any more. The great god Pan is dead. He has passed on and left us his spirit."
"What?" Silenus's face turned bright red. "Sacrilege and lies! Grover Underwood, I will have you exiled for speaking thus!"
"It's true," Percy said. "We were there when he died. All of us."
"Impossible! You are all liars! Nature-destroyers!"
Chiron studied Grover's face. "We will speak of this later."
"We will speak of it now!" Silenus said. "We must deal with this—"
"Silenus," Chiron cut in. "My camp is under attack. The matter of Pan has waited two thousand years. I fear it will have to wait a bit longer. Assuming we are still here this evening."
And on that happy note, he readied his bow and galloped toward the woods, leaving them to follow as best they could.
—🧵—
It was the biggest military operation Percy had ever seen at camp. Everyone was at the clearing, dressed in full battle armour, but this time it wasn't for capture the flag. The Hephaestus cabin had set up traps around the entrance to the Labyrinth—razor wire, pits filled with pots of Greek fire, rows of sharpened sticks to deflect a charge. Beckendorf was manning two catapults the size of pickup trucks, already primed and aimed at Zeus's Fist. The Ares cabin was on the front line, drilling in phalanx formation with Clarisse calling orders. Apollo's and Hermes's cabins were scattered in the woods with bows ready. Many had taken up positions in the trees. Even the dryads were armed with bows, and the satyrs trotted around with wooden cudgels and shields made of rough tree bark.
Annabeth went to join her brethren from the Athena cabin, who had set up a command tent and were directing operations. A grey banner with an owl fluttered outside the tent. Their security chief, Argus, stood guard at the door. Aphrodite's children were running around straightening everybody's armour and offering to comb the tangles out of their horse hair plumes. Even Dionysus's kids had found something to do. The god himself was still nowhere to be seen, but his two blond twin sons were running around providing all the sweaty warriors with water bottles and juice boxes. Off to the side, Andromeda was building barricades out of roots and vines, trying to help fortify the camp.
It looked like a pretty good setup, but Chiron muttered next to him. "It isn't enough."
Percy thought about what he'd seen in the Labyrinth, all the monsters in Antaeus's stadium, and the power of Kronos he'd felt on Mt. Tam. His heart sank. Chiron was right, but it was all they could muster. For once he wished Dionysus was here, but even if he had been, the boy didn't know if he could do anything. When it came to war, gods were forbidden to interfere directly. Apparently, the Titans didn't believe in restrictions like that.
Over at the edge of the clearing, Grover was talking to Juniper. She held his hands while he told her their story. Green tears formed in her eyes as he delivered the news about Pan.
Tyson helped the Hephaestus kids prepare the defences. He picked up boulders and piled them next to the catapults for firing.
"Stay with me, Percy," Chiron said. "When the fighting begins, I want you to wait until we know what we're dealing with. You must go where we most need reinforcements."
"What about Lea, though? She's being hunted by them."
"Andromeda can handle her own." He stated. There was something to his voice, similar to Pan's, kind of like he knew something or was aware of something that no one else was. The way he said it sent a chill down Percy's spin like a bucket of frigid water.
"I saw Kronos," he said, still stunned by the fact. "I looked straight into his eyes. It was Luke...but it wasn't."
Chiron ran his fingers along his bowstring. "He had golden eyes, I would guess. And in his presence, time seemed to turn to liquid."
He nodded. "How could he take over a mortal body?"
"I do not know, Percy. Gods have assumed the shapes of mortals for ages, but to actually become one...to merge the divine form with the mortal. I don't know how this could be done without Luke's form turning into ashes."
"Kronos said his body had been prepared."
"I shudder to think what that means. But perhaps it will limit Kronos's power. For a time, at least, he is confined to a human form. It binds him together. Hopefully it also restricts him."
"Chiron, if he leads the attack—"
"I do not think so, my boy. I would sense if he were drawing near. No doubt he planned to, but I believe you inconvenienced him when you pulled down his throne room on top of him. And when he was taken down by a halfblood." He looked at Percy reproachfully. "You, Andromeda, and your friend Nico, son of Hades."
A lump formed in his throat. "I'm sorry, Chiron. I know we should've told you. It's just—"
Chiron raised his hand. "I understand why you did it, Percy. You felt responsible. You sought to protect him. But, my boy, if we are to survive this war, we must trust each other. We must..."
His voice wavered. The ground underneath them was trembling.
With a quick glance up, Percy took in one last beautiful sight before the world around him would be struck by battle. Andromeda stood about twenty feet away, Mania in hand. She was decked out in armour—her vine engraved chestplate with matching arm guards. The top layer of her hair was braided back, the rest falling to her waist underneath. Her expression was blank, but her amethyst eyes seemed busy. They were flickering around, almost like she was checking everything without really looking. Like she was waiting for something to happen, and suddenly her eyes darted to the ground and back up, connecting with Percy's.
Everyone in the clearing stopped what they were doing. Clarisse barked a single order: "Lock shields!"
Then the Titan lord's army exploded from the Labyrinth.
—🧵—
The first thing she saw were a dozen Laistrygonian giants erupting from the ground, yelling so loudly her ears felt like bursting. They carried shields made from flattened cars, and clubs that were tree trunks with rusty spikes bristling at the end. One of the giants bellowed at the Ares phalanx, smashed it sideways with his club, and the entire cabin was thrown aside, a dozen warriors tossed to the wind like rag dolls.
"Fire!" Beckendorf yelled, Janaya at his side. The catapults swung into action. Two boulders hurtled toward the giants. One deflected off a car shield with hardly a dent, but the other caught a Laistrygonian in the chest, and the giant went down. Apollo's archers fired a volley, dozens of arrows sticking in the thick armour of the giants like porcupine quills. Several found chinks in armor, and some of the giants vaporized at the touch of celestial bronze.
But just when it looked like the Laistrygonians were about to get overwhelmed, the next wave surged out of the maze: thirty, maybe forty dracaenae in full battle armour, wielding spears and nets. They dispersed in all directions. Some hit the traps the Hephaestus cabin had laid. One got struck on the spikes and became an easy target for archers. Another triggered a trip wire, and pots of Greek fire exploded into green flames, engulfing several of the snake women. But many more kept coming. Argus and Athena's warriors rushed forward to meet them. She saw Annabeth draw a sword and engage one of them. Nearby, Tyson was riding a giant. Somehow he'd managed to climb onto the giant's back and was hitting him on the head with a bronze shield—BONG! BONG! BONG!
Chiron calmly aimed arrow after arrow, taking down a monster with every shot. But more enemies just kept climbing out of the maze. Finally a hellhound—not Mrs. O'Leary—leaped out of the tunnel and barreled straight toward the satyrs.
Donnie notched an arrow and aimed, releasing with a sure expression on his face, confident in the fact that his arrow would hit its mark. By the blessing of Apollo, it did. It nailed a giant right in the eye, the monster falling to the ground and soon to dust.
"GO!" She heard Chiron yell.
Suddenly, she felt more alive than ever. She knew immediately it was because Percy was on the field, Riptide in hand. A small, faint sea green colour bloomed on the hilt of Mania, and Andromeda felt a surge of power rush through her.
She didn't pay attention to the fight around her as she lifted her arms, Mania with them, and struck down with a shout. The gold and bronze blade sliced straight though the empousi in front of her, three at a time. She flipped it as she continued on, feeling strangely nostalgic. Kind of like deja vu, but not. She felt like she had done this before, and within seconds her moves changed. Mania changed shape in her hand, something that had never happened before. It went from its usual, vine engraved xiphos to a long spear, with an arrow-like tip, pointed and deadly. She reached her arm back and launched it straight forward like throwing a dart. With a heavy breath, she watched as it speared monster after monster on its journey forward, stopping only when it pierced a tree.
But before she could retrieve it, she felt something hard hit the back of her head. Andromeda stumbled and reached a hand back, feeling blood coat her red hair. Turning around with a low growl, she tapped her wrists together, her shields spinning to life. She threw punch after pointed punch, not even realising who it was that she was fighting.
It was only when she heard the gurgles of whoever it was, did she realise what she had done. At her feet lay a halfblood dressed in armour—Kronos' armour—someone who was around her age. She felt tears prick her eyes, but somewhere inside of her, somewhere far down, buried, she didn't regret it. Just as Mania appeared back in her hand, she struck her blade down, piercing the demigod through the heart, killing them instantly.
Around her, the earth trembled. A fissure opened in front of the dracaenae, and a dozen undead warriors crawled from the earth—horrible corpses in military uniforms from all different time periods—U.S. Revolutionaries, Roman centurions, Napoleonic cavalry on skeletal horses. As one, they drew their swords and engaged the dracaenae. Nico crumpled to his knees. She just hoped he was okay.
Just when it seemed like the battle had balanced out again—like they might stand a chance—an unearthly shriek echoed out of the Labyrinth, a sound Andromeda had heard before.
Kampê shot into the sky, her bat wings fully extended. She landed on the top of Zeus's Fist and surveyed the carnage. Her face was filled with evil glee. The mutant animal heads growled at her waist. Snakes hissed and swirled around her legs. In her right hand she held a glittering ball of thread—Ariadne's string—but she popped it into a lion's mouth at her waist and drew her curved swords. The blades glowed green with poison. Kampê screeched in triumph, and some of the campers screamed. Others tried to run and got trampled by hellhounds or giants.
"Di Immortales!" Chiron yelled. He quickly aimed an arrow, but Kampê seemed to sense his presence. She took flight with amazing speed, and Chrion's arrow whizzed harmlessly past her head.
Tyson untangled himself from the giant whom he'd pummelling into unconsciousness. He ran to their lines, shouting, "Stand! Do not run from her! Flight!"
But then a hellhound leaped on him, and Tyson and the hound went rolling away.
Kampê landed on the Athena command tent, smashing it flat. Andromeda ran after Percy, who was heading in her general direction. She bumped her arm against his and grinned, "This might be it."
"Could be."
"Nice knowing you, Fish Face."
"Ditto."
Together they leaped into the monster's path. Kampê hissed and sliced at them. Percy dodged, trying to distract her, while Andromeda went in for a strike, but the monster seemed able to fight with both hands independently. She blocked the redhead's sword, and Andromeda had to jump back to avoid the cloud of poison. Just being near the thing was like standing in an acid fog, and it briefly reminded her of the St. Louis Arch. Her eyes burned and her lungs couldn't get enough air. She knew they couldn't stand their ground for more than a few seconds, even with their combined skills.
"Come on!" Percy shouted. "We need help!"
But no help came. Everyone was either down, or fighting for their lives, or too scared to move forward. Three of Chiron's arrows sprouted from Kampê's chest, but she just roared louder.
"Now!" Andromeda said.
Together they charged, dodged the monster's slashes, got inside her guard, and almost...almost managed to stab Kampê in the chest, but a huge bear's head lashed out from the monster's waist, and they had to stumble backward to avoid getting bitten.
Slam!
The two of them were pushed back, Andromeda taking the blunt of the hit for both of them, grunting as they hit the ground. Hundreds of snakes slithered right above them, hissing like laughter. Kampê raised her green-tinged swords, and Percy knew he and Andromeda were out of options.
Then, behind them, something howled. A wall of darkness slammed into Kampê, sending the monster sideways. And Mrs. O'Leary was standing over them, snarling and snapping at Kampê.
"Good girl!" said a familiar voice. Daedalus was fighting his way out of the Labyrinth, slashing down enemies left and right as he made his way toward them. Next to him was someone else—a familiar giant, much taller than the Laistrygonians, with a hundred rippling arms, each holding a huge chunk of rock.
"Briares!" Tyson cried in wonder.
"Hail, little brother!" Briares bellowed. "Stand firm!"
And as Mrs. O'Leary leaped out of the way, the Hundred-Handed One launched a volley of boulders at Kampê. The rocks seemed to enlarge as they left Briares's hands. There were so many, it looked like half the earth had learned to fly.
BOOOOOM!
Where Kampê had stood a moment before was a mountain of boulders, almost as tall as Zeus's Fist. The only sign that the monster had ever existed were two green sword points sticking through the cracks.
A cheer went up from the campers, but their enemies weren't done yet. One of the dracaenae yelled, "Ssssslay them! Kill them all or Kronossss will flay you alive!"
Apparently, that threat was more terrifying than they were. The giants surged forward in a last desperate attempt. One surprised Chiron with a glancing blow to the back legs, and he stumbled and fell. Six giants cried in glee and rushed forward.
"No!" The two demigods screamed, but they were too far away to help. Andromeda's eyes went wide, connecting with that of her favourite satyrs, she scrambled to her feet, away from Percy.
Then it happened. Grover opened his mouth, and the most horrible sound Percy had ever heard came out. It was like a brass trumpet magnified a thousand times—the sound of pure fear. Just as it happened, Andromeda let out a yell—one that sounded of pain—and clapped her hands together, the largest wave of mania he'd ever seen ripping through the entire camp, somehow weaving around those who fought for Camp Half-Blood.
As one, the forces of Kronos dropped their weapons and ran for their lives. The giants trampled the dracaenae trying to get into the Labyrinth first. Telkhines and hellhounds and enemy half-bloods scrambled after them, screaming from whatever fears, whatever lunacy they saw in their minds as they were ripped apart. The tunnel rumbled shut, and the battle was over. The clearing was quiet except for the fires burning in the woods, and the cries of the wounded.
But while her friends ran towards Chiron and Nico to help, and bid goodbye to Daedalus, Andromeda felt a terrible ache in her entire body. She could feel a piece of her chip away as she looked around frantically. A sob ripped through her throat when she saw what she always feared.
Just feet away, Castor laid on the ground, bloody, his eyes open but not seeing. She felt her whole body begin to shake as Pollux dropped to his knees in front of his twin—his other half. Opposite of her, Adonis had frozen too. His face had gone pale and his eyes welled with tears, some stray ones coasting down his cheeks. His shoulders shook with silent cries, his wine coloured eyes filled with desperation.
She stumbled back, her eyes wide, her mouth dropped open as gasps escaped her. She was shaking—her hands, her shoulders, her chin, her legs, everything. She could feel the eyes on her, but all she could see was her once lively brother, now dead.
She had never, not in many, many years, felt such pain. It wasn't physical, no, it was all in her head. She could feel herself beginning to burst from the seams, the power she struggled to control nearly breaking out. She took shaky steps forward, looking down at her brothers—twins, two people who were tied together by Fate for life. But now one of them was dead and gone, and the other was left without his best friend.
Pollux's shoulders shook with wails as he held his brother's shoulders, sobbing into his chest. She could see the vines breaking through the ground, but she didn't know who they belonged to. She didn't know why they were there, but she could see them curling towards her brother, desperate to take away his pain. She waved her hand and they crumbled to dust as she felt something in her snap.
Flashes of her mother falling to her death, a spear in her heart, a crazed cyclops standing above her like they had just achieved their life's goal.
Andromeda Storm turned on her heel and ran, ran as fast as she could. She knew what was happening, she had lived with it long enough to know this feeling. She was like a volcano, or perhaps a ticking time bomb. She could feel her body getting ready to explode, her mind along with it. She tripped over the fallen trees and the bodies that she came across, but didn't stop until she hit the creek. Until her legs gave out beneath her, and a broken, desperate scream poured out of her.
And with it, vines—triple the size of what they normally were—sprouted like waves crashing against the beach, a wave of mania and chaos spewed from her body every second until her body felt numb and powerless and empty.
She couldn't see, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she couldn't feel. And for some reason, she knew this was only the beginning.
I'm not even gonna say anything about this chapter.