𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟑: 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝐃𝐈𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐃
"God is a woman."
WARNING: MENTIONS OF TORTURE & CHARACTER DEATH
ERIS WAS SIX WHEN SHE WAS PUNCHED IN THE FACE FOR THE FIRST TIME.
She and Willow had been play fighting like most siblings do. Even, as much as they loved each, even they would throw hands at each other. Willow had been mid-way to wrestling Eris to the ground when Eris accidentally kicked Willow in the shin. Willow rebounded by accidentally punching Eris in the face so hard she saw stars. Of course, Eris promptly responded by bursting into tears and Willow tried to comfort her.
Her point still stood. Then after Willow died she took more than enough beating from Clarisse even a couple of punches from Hippolyta. So that's why after all the hits and blows she had dealt with her entire life Eris could confidently look up and say, even with all the blood raining on her face, this:
"You hit like a bitch," she spat. She licked her teeth, tasting the metallic taste of blood feeling her mouth before swallowing.
Alabaster Torrington snarled, "She's a stubborn one," he told Luke. His knuckles were sore and red. Alabaster was a tall sixteen-year-old demigod with brown hair and green eyes and a freckled cover face. "She doesn't know how to shut up."
"You could always use a silencing spell on her," Luke offered.
Alabaster scoffed, "And waste precious energy. I think not," he muttered.
Luke hummed and narrowed his eyes at Eris who glared back, "You're not making this any easier are you."
Eris panted harshly and glared at him harshly. "Die." She wrestled in the chains bound at her wrist.
Not long after finding her they had taken her back to their hideout and shoved her in some metal room. Then while she was passed out, chained her wrist to chains that were attached to the ceiling forcing her toes to barely touch the ground and an ache in her joints from the strain. For now, she dangled in the air only helps up by the large chains bounding her wrist together.
"We could try electrocuting her again," Alabaster offered. "But nothing's worked so far. I don't see the point-"
"Do it again," Luke said shortly, "As long as it is not sexual, do whatever means of torture possible to put her in a Godly state so we can kill her and kill that pesky technique in her." He glared at Eris, "Just tell it to come out already!"
Eris growled lowly, "Once again I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Luke glanced at Alabaster, "She needs to bring it...her...whatever out inside of her then Jeremiah can kill her. It's not long before one of her friends shows back up here and I won't let Percy Jackson ruin this plan do you understand?" He hissed.
Inside of her? Eris's mind racked with questions. There were still so many things about the Ungodly Hour she didn't understand yet. Questions left unanswered. Was there more her spirits were keeping
Alabaster gulped, "Yes, sir."
There was a knock on the metal door, "Sir, it's time."
Something on Luke's face changed. His furious demeanor changed into one of...fear? His face paled and he swallowed, "Right," he said firmly. "I'm coming." He turned to Alabaster, "Get. It.Done."
With that, he left leaving only the two of them.
Eris wrestled against the chains, "You're so lucky I can't get my hands on you," she muttered.
Alabaster rolled his eyes, "You're cocky for a prisoner."
"Look what do you want with me?" She demanded.
"Well," he hummed, "I'm order for the plan to succeed the UnGodly Hour must be erased. Permanently."
Eris panted, "W-What does t-that have to do with you torturing me?"
Alabaster frowned, "The more pain you're in, the more likely the UnGodly hour is forced out of your body think of it as...the avatar state."
Sweat dripped from Eris's forehead, "I don't understand."
Alabaster smiled sickly sweetly, "What do you not understand? It's easy," he shrugged and casually picked up a baseball bat covered in bobbed wire. "We want to kill you."
Eris spat in his face leaving a thick layer of blood-infused spit on Alabaster's face, "Fuck you."
He swung.
She screamed.
...
ALABASTER SIGHED IN RELIEF.
Finally. It was done.
He stood back as Eris's body stared back at him with glowing white eyes.
"Yes," he breathed. "I-I-I did it! Jeremiah! Luke is—"
In an instant, Eris's left arm yanked the chain holding onto the ceiling free and it wrapped around Alabaster's neck.
Alabaster choked and tried to claw the chain off his next.
Eris tilted her head, "Foolish boy," she spat. Her voice was deeper. Haunting like Hades himself. "You think you can touch a God such as myself?"
She tugged the chain forward and Alabaster followed. He stared into her frighting white eyes that slowly turned inky black.
"You truly believe you can beat me?!" She asked. Her smile turned into a maddening Joker-like grin, "You arrogant mortals always consider yourself so high and mighty then I come and put you in your place. It's always so fun."
Alabaster whimpered. "Jeremiah! H-Help!"
"Silence."
This wasn't Eris. It was her body but it wasn't her in there. He knew who it was but for some reason, he couldn't recognize it. They had been trying to summon it. It was on purpose but now Alabaster couldn't help but regret every decision he ever made.
This was a monster.
"Y-You're n-not E-Eris," Alabaster choked on his words. His fingers uselessly gripping the chains. "W-What are you?" Their mere presence made tears erupt from Alabaster's eyes and his pants felt damp.
"Oh you poor boy," Eris's body cooed. "Don't you know? You forced me to come here."
"Y-You're not E-Eris."
Eris's body scoffed, "Oh I am so much better than Eris. Come I'll tell you a little secret.
Alabaster looked at her.
Eris's hair turned white.
"I am God."
Alabaster sobbed uncontrollably, "I-I don't—"
"You're boring me," God said flatly. She stared at Alabaster like he was nothing more than gum on the ground. She tightened the chains around Alabaster's neck.
Then she yanked.
Alabaster's neck snapped to the side and his dead body crumbled to the ground.
God wrinkled her nose, "Ugh," she yanked her right hand loose from the last chain and dropped to the ground, she landed in a squat before standing. She cracked her neck before feeling around her body. Her clothes were torn practically to shreds and when she felt her stomach she hissed slightly. "The brat was stabbed," she muttered, "There she goes. Ruining our perfect body. Beauty like me only comes around once a century or two."
"That's enough."
God tiredly looked into the doorway where a young Black man stood in dark jeans and armor with a dark-looking sword and cornrowed hair.
Oh...
God smiled, "Oh, you're cute," she purred. "I like you."
"I'm assuming you know who I am?" God asked, she checked her nails and made an annoyed sound because Eris's nails were broken and undone. "Or do I need to make my usual speech because trust I love it? I am all and I am one, blah, blah, blah."
Jeremiah swallowed, "Get away from him. Now."
"Oh aren't you just a knight in shining armor," God mocked. "You're friends already dead by the way," she added. "He was annoying and-" God finally caught sight of her hair, glancing at the chopped-off ends of her locs, "My hair!" she cried, "My beautiful hair! Who did this to us?!"
Jeremiah took his knife out of its holster.
God frowned, "Oh you're here to kill me," she said muttered. "Guess that means I can't sleep with you then." She sighed, "Let me guess?" she stared at him through her now white lashes, "You're the other one right? The only one who can kill me. Seriously. He chose you! He always picks the cute ones."
"I..."Jeremiah's hands shook, "I can't do this..." he tossed his knife to the side and gripped his head.
"Ooh, a plot twist?"
"I'm supposed to do this! I need to kill you! But..." he shook his head, "Eris...she...I-I can't do this..."
"Oh, Essence Lewis," God wrinkled her nose, "Her. Yes, well, she's asleep for now. We're having a great conversation by the way right now. So you're not going to try to kill me?"
Jeremiah shook his head, "I can't do that to her...I...she doesn't deserve this."
"Oh, well," God looked around, "This is boring. You, humans, are always so weak-minded. No wonder you always die so easily. So what now?"
He swallowed, "I...I'm getting Eris out of here. I'm getting us out of here. And I'm going to save my mom. I-I'm going to save us all. I need her back. Please give Eris her body back."
"Oh you poor child, so hopeful" God stroked his cheek, "Love never works out well for a child of the Underworld. Especially those who are fated to kill each other."
A tear fell from Jeremiah's eye.
Then God kissed him in Eris's body. For a God, she wasn't a great kisser. Jeremiah recoiled from the kiss and wiped his lips. God stared him in the eyes. "Take care of her. I'm not this nice usually but you really are quite handsome," she whispered, "I hate being summoned to the human world."
Slowly God's hair turned back to brown and the next thing Jeremiah knew he had a passed-out Eris in his arms.
...
THE REAL ERIS WOKE UP IN A WHITE ROOM.
She shot awake and looked down to find herself resting on a grey chaise longue sofa and when she looked up there was a mirror in front of her face.
Eris touched her face, "What the-" She pulled at her face, not believing what she was seeing.
She had aged and changed.
Her locs were now the purest shade of white she had ever seen, they now reached her knees. Her eyelashes seemed longer and her lips fuller. Her pupils were white, making them blend in with her sclera and they were...were they glowing? But that wasn't all. Her skin was perfectly clear, gone were her acne scars and zits, and she looked old. Her face lacked any baby fat and was now slim and had defining features. She looked...she looked a bit more like Hades.
Eris stood up in shock only to realize she had grown to become six feet tall. Her breath hitched. She wore a short black tunic with silver Greek sandals that trailed to her shins. She couldn't help that her arms and legs were extremely defined with muscles as if she were a daughter of Ares.
"I-"
"Oh," a bored voice came, "you're awake."
Eris turned and laying on the couch she had previously occupied was a woman. It wasn't just a woman.
It was Eris.
"You," Eris breathed out. "I-It's you," she stuttered. "Who are you?"
The woman sighed and stood. She walked circles around Eris, "Didn't I tell you? I'm Essence Lewis. For now at least, until you die, and then I move on to the next holder."
"No, I'm Essence Lewis," Eris denied. "This doesn't make any sense."
The woman rolled her eyes, "I suppose technically I am the being inside of you, you're gift which you should be grateful for because I am quite wonderful," she flipped her hair over her shoulders and batted her lashes, "I'm not you but I am part of you. The prize you were born with. Because well," the woman shrugged smugly, "I am a prize. I mean look at me."
Despite looking exactly like Eris's current form(??? Whatever it's called?) the woman was vastly different. She acted slightly like the girls in the Aphrodite cabin. Her heels clacked with every step taken and she oozed confidence with every word she spoke. She continued to do things to fix up her appearance like filing her nails or adding extra lip gloss. She seemed almost...like she knew she was invincible. Arrogant and cocky to its finest.
I am part of you.
Eris's eyes widened in realization, "You're the Ungodly Hour," she said breathlessly.
The woman hummed, "So that is what you peasants call me these days. You little earth creatures are so annoying these days," she looked at her perfectly done nails. "I guess I should properly introduce myself."
She suddenly stared Eris in the eyes causing Eris to take a few steps back. The woman's entire demeanor changed into one that reminded her of Zeus. She felt like this woman was someone important...her presence was...UnGodly.
The woman checked out her nails, "I am a being of many names and titles," she glanced up.
Eris's breath hitched as the woman's hair started to levitate slightly. The woman stared Eris down with a cold look in her eye.
Eris choked on her spit, "I—"
"Don't interrupt me, girl," the woman spat with venom. Her personality doing a full 180. "Being in front of me is a privilege and you will respect that and listen to me. Am I clear?"
Against her will, Eris nodded.
The woman scoffed, "As I was saying," she said, her voice as cold as ice. "I am a being of many names and titles. One is the world, another is God. I am the cosmos and creation. You live on earth but I am the one who created earth. You live on my land, you breathe my oxygen. I am the truth and I am all and I am one. And I am also...you."
She walked in circles around Eris, "You humans are so arrogant these days. Calling just any man a God when I am the one and only! I am God! I AM EVERYTHING don't you see? Nothing will ever match my capabilities except for myself!"
The woman's eyes turned pitch black and Eris took another step back, her heart drumming against her chest. The woman followed. A crazed look in her eye.
"Know this Eris Lewis," the woman (God????) spat. "You miserable humans, you "Gods" All of you are nothing, but entitled scums," she taunted, "When in reality you all owe me for the air you breathe, the ocean you swim in, and the dirt you are buried in when you succumb to your useless deaths. You owe me for all because I am all. Are we clear?"
Half of what she was saying Eris didn't understand. Did this mean this lady was the being of all beings? Did she create everything? The Gods and all? So many questions went through her head before she could gather her thoughts.
Eris exhaled, "Crystal clear. Spotless. Sure. But in simple terms you're...?"
The woman rolled her eyes, "I suppose yes, in simple terms for you I am the physical illusion of what you call the UnGodly Hour and you will treat me with the respect I deserve, but for now you may call me Essence."
Eris swallowed, "R-Right...okay," she muttered. "Why am I here? Why are you here? Why do you...look like me?"
Essence smirked, "Getting straight to the point aren't we?" She winked, "I like that." She sat down on the couch and patted the space next to her. "Come and sat."
Eris shook her head, "I'm fine standing."
There was a sharp glint in Essence's eyes, "I wasn't asking."
Eris sat.
"I look like you because I am you...to a certain extent," the woman shrugged. "There is a new child of the Underworld every couple of years. But the "UnGodly Hour" she rolled her eyes, "Is only gifted twice a century. It's almost like drawing the short end in a straw stack. Completely random which kid of the Underworld gets it. You just happened to be the lucky one graced with my presence this time around," she flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled. "So I look like you because I technically am you or inside of you until well..." Essence pretended to be lost in thought, "until you die. Then I move on to the next child of the underworld whenever the lucky kid is born whether it's in a thousand years or in a hundred. No one knows these days when those fake Gods decide to reproduce. Maybe one day they'll be smart enough to use a condom and I'll cease to exist."
Essence reached into her pocket and pulled out a tube of lipgloss. Her eyes were focused on the mirror as she applied another layer of shiny brown gloss. Eris realized she used the same brand.
"As for why I'm here...well," Essence smacked and rubbed her lips together. She side-eyed Eris. "You summoned me here."
"Summoned? No, I—"
"Well not summoned because I don't do anything I don't want to do," Essence quickly cut in, "So let's just say I allowed you to be graced with my amazing presence."
Eris blinked, "I...okay. But I don't remember calling you. I didn't even know you—"
"Well..." Essence smoothed out the wrinkles in her toga. "In extreme cases of dire need, you unconsciously do the...Ungodly Hour. Whatever you call it. Only in extreme cases though," she sighed in annoyance, "and I guess what's happened now is an extreme case."
But then that meant...
"I did the UnGodly Hour?" Eris asked, her eyes wide. "But...does that mean I survived it? Am I... is my body okay? Is my life span shortened now? I didn't want to do this — I didn't mean to do this—"
"Relax," Essence said flatly, "You didn't actually do it. You just halfway did it," she scratched her head, "You just summoned— no, asked, me to come. So I'm keeping your body alive for now until I feel like giving it back to me. So relax. There are no consequences to this. There's this whole ritual of whatever you have to do to summon my powers but you can get me to come anytime."
"But if you're God?" Eris scratched her head. "Why did they make me ask you to come save me? Shouldn't they be scared of you?"
"Oh, honey, everyone is scared of me. And they should be. They summoned me because they want to kill me by killing you."
"I...I'm lost..."
Essence sighed in annoyance, "What is it that little wing boy said?" She wrinkled her nose. She cleared her throat. Then her voice changed to become identical to Icarus's,
"There is someone else, there is another demigod who possesses a similar power to the Ungodly Hour. They have the ability to cancel out the UnGodly and stop you from performing it and using its power if they wish." When she finished she coughed, "his voice is really annoying by the way."
"So that other person. They "cancel out" the UnGodly Hour but they don't stop it they just have the power to kill me," the God rolled her eyes, "because of that whole "everything in nature must have a balance" bullshit Chaos came up with," she said in a mocking tone.
"I still don't understand."
"Well let me make it simpler for that little brain of yours. When you do the UnGodly Hour or when you ask for me to save you you activate the UnGodly Hour. You are put in a Godly state and only then can I be killed but only if the other person who.... guess they do the Godly Hour...ha, ha. Get it?"
Eris nodded slowly, "Yeah totally."
"If they kill you when I take over your body for the UnGodly then I die...permanent as in no coming back. No moving on to the next user in a couple of years or some. I'm done existing. Capisce?"
"I...Got it."
Essence smiled, "Great."
"But—"
"Urgh!" Essence groaned dramatically, "What now?!"
"Does this mean...I'm immortal until that other person kills me?"
"No, don't be stupid," Essence waved her off. "If they kill normal old you when you're in your normal state I'll just move on to the nearest child of the Underworld. You can die at any time. But if they kill you while I'm summoned then we both die...forever."
"That's why they're trying to kill you now," Eris realized. "Because if I did die randomly you'll just move on to someone like Nico or whoever in the Underworld decided to bang in an instant because you're inevitable. You'll always happen but if they kill you or us together they won't have to ever worry about you moving on. They won't have to worry about someone like Nico or Jeremiah beating them in the war. They'll always have the upper hand by killing you once and for all."
"Aww, look at someone being smart for once," Essence pouted mockingly, "Want a cookie?"
Eris sighed in relief, "Alright I.., wait...my body....what happened to my body," Eris looked around, "I have to get out of here."
"Oh relax. It's perfectly fine," Essence replied. "I took it over for you."
"Took it over? What do you mean you took over my body?"
Essence rolled her eyes, "When you summon—ask me to come I take over your body. The same thing happens when you actually do the UnGodly...Hour. Whatever you kids call it. You and I become one in mind and soul and blah, blah, blah. All that boring stuff," she waved Eris off. "Don't worry we're asleep right now. You just won't remember me taking over your body but you'll remember this conversation. Jeez, you act like this is the first time you've done this."
"It...it is my first time summoning—" Essence sent Eris a sharp look and Eris quickly corrected herself, "Asking you to take over? I guess."
"It's not," Essence raised an eyebrow, "Don't you remember?"
"Remember what?"
Essence stared at Eris for a while, as if trying to find out if she was lying or not before she started laughing. "Oh, God! This is great! You really don't remember! My God, I am amazing!"
Eris bit her tongue, "I—"
Essence stopped laughing suddenly and grinned madly, "How did you escape Tartarus, Eris?"
Eris blinked, "W-What?"
"I said: How did you escape Tartarus, Eris Lewis?"
Eris's mouth felt dry. Most of the time she tried to block out her memories from Tartarus. It wasn't exactly a time of her life she enjoyed thinking about. She still had nightmares that followed her dreams. But to please Essence she tried to remember how but then—
The more she tried to clue together pieces of her memories from Tartarus, tried to think about the darkest time in her life she realized—
"I...I don't know."
Eris clutched her head, "I-I d-don't r-remember how..." She started stuttering like she was twelve again going on her first quest. "I don't know."
Essence's eyes turned black again, "Oh, but I know. Because it was me."
Eris stood a step back and Essence stepped forward.
"Every moment after Hippolyta saved you...every moment you thought you lived in that hell you didn't. It was always me. It was me who you asked to save you. It was me who took care of you."
Eris's eyes filled with tears, "I don't—I didn't—that's not true."
"It was me who did all the heavy lifting because little old Eris Lewis," she spat, "couldn't handle the heat. But guess what I could and I did. Slayed every monster in my path and got you to the doors of death—"
Eris choked down a sob, "I-I'm s-sorry—"
"While you got a free ride to freedom," Essence got in Eris's face. "You idiotic human allowed Kronos to drag you into Tartarus to kill you and you didn't even have the nerve to fight. Pathetic."
"I-I n-never meant—"
"Silence."
Eris covered her mouth.
Essence was so close that normally if it were anyone else Eris could feel their breath on her face but she couldn't feel any air coming out of Essence's nose. Because Essence didn't need air, Essence didn't need anything, Essence didn't need anything but herself.
And it scared Eris to her core because Essence was right.
Essence was God. She was everything. She was all and one at the same time.
"So every time you have a memory about Tartarus," Essence whispered in Eris's ear, "Just remember it's not real—
"I-It's not r-real—"
"You're still—"
"T-That I-I'm still—"
"Crazy Little Eris Lewis."
"I'm crazy little Eris Lewis," Eris breathed out. "I'm nothing but the crazy girl of camp half-blood."
Essence smiled, "Good," she titled her head to the side. "Enough charity. Get out."
She snapped her fingers and Eris's neck snapped to the side with a sickening crack.
...
NICO WOULDN'T STOP CRYING.
The four of them had soared across the valley, over a road, and landed on the terrace of the visitor center. It was late afternoon and the place looked pretty empty, but they ripped off their wings as quickly as they could and then trashed them in a nearby dumpster. Percy used the tourist binocular camera to look up at the hill where Daedalus's workshop had been, but it had vanished. No more smoke. No broken windows. Just the side of a hill.
"We have to find her," Nico blubbered, "S-She's my sister. I can't lose another sister! Please!"
Annabeth hushed him lightly and hugged him to her chest but she didn't look much better herself. Her curls turned into a ball of frizz and her eyes were red and watery. "We'll find her. Right, Percy?"
Percy stared off into the distance.
He hated Eris. He hated how kind she was and how easily she gave her heart to anyone who needed it. How being loving was so easy for her. How she put herself last and never first. How loyal she was to her family and how fierce she was. He hated Eris because of how easily she could make a complete mess of a person without a second thought.
He hated her because she was Eris. And she was everything.
And he was scared and Percy hadn't felt fear like this since his mom went missing.
Percy blinked away any tears in his eyes.
"Percy?" Annabeth hissed.
"Yeah," Percy said slowly. He gave Nico a fake smile, "I'll find her. And I'll bring her back. I promise."
"The workshop moved," Annabeth guessed. "There's no telling where."
"So what do we do now?" Percy asked. "How do we get back in the maze?"
Annabeth gazed at the summit of Pikes Peak in the distance. "Maybe we can't. If Daedalus died...he said his life force was tied into the Labyrinth. The whole thing might've been destroyed. Maybe that will stop Luke's invasion."
"No," Percy said firmly, "Eris is down there. Eris needs us. There has to be a way...we can't just leave her there."
He also thought about Grover and Tyson, still down there somewhere. And Daedalus...even though he'd done some terrible things and put everybody he cared about at risk, it seemed like a pretty horrible way to die.
"No," Nico said, wiping away his tears. "H-He isn't dead."
"How can you be sure?" Percy asked.
"I know when people die. It's this feeling I get, like a buzzing in my ears."
"What about Tyson and Grover, then?" Percy swallowed, "And...Eris?"
Nico shook his head. "That's harder. They're not humans or half-bloods. They don't have mortal souls. But Eris..." he looked Percy in the eye, "She's alive. I know it."
Something in Percy's chest exploded.
"We have to get into town," Annabeth decided. "Our chances will be better of finding an entrance to the Labyrinth. We have to make it back to camp before Luke and his army."
"We could just take a plane," Rachel said.
Percy shuddered. "I don't fly."
"But you just did."
"That was low flying," Percy said, "and even that's risky. Flying up really high—that's Zeus's territory. I can't do it. Besides, we don't even have time for a flight. The labyrinth is the quickest way back."
"So we need a car to take us into the city," Annabeth said.
Rachel looked down into the parking lot. She grimaced as if she were about to do something she regretted. "I'll take care of it."
"How?" Annabeth asked.
"Just trust me."
Annabeth looked uneasy, but she nodded. "Okay, I'm going to buy a prism in the gift shop, try to make a rainbow, and send an Iris message to camp."
"I'll go with you," Nico said, he hugged the aviator jacket Eris gave him to his chest. "I'm hungry."
"I'll stick with Rachel, then," Percy said. "Meet you guys in the parking lot."
Rachel frowned like she didn't want Percy with her. He followed her down to the parking lot anyway.
She headed toward a big black car parked at the edge of the lot. It was a chauffeured Lexus, like the kind he always saw driving around Manhattan. The driver was out front, reading a newspaper. He wore a dark suit and tie.
"What are you going to do?" Percy asked Rachel.
"Just wait here," she said miserably. "Please."
Rachel marched straight up to the driver and talked to him. He frowned.
Rachel said something else. He turned pale and hastily folded up his magazine. He nodded and fumbled for his cell phone. After a brief call, he opened the back door of the car for Rachel to get in. She pointed back in Percy's direction, and the driver bobbed his head some more, like Yes, ma'am. Whatever you want.
Rachel came back to get Percy just as Nico and Annabeth appeared from the gift shop.
"I talked to Chiron," Annabeth said. "They're doing their best to prepare for battle, but he still wants us back. They're going to need every hero they can get. Did we find a ride?"
"The driver's ready when we are," Rachel said
....
AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR, they decided to head north toward Denver, thinking that maybe a bigger city would be more likely to have a Labyrinth entrance, but they were all getting nervous. They were losing time.
Percy couldn't stop thinking about Eris. What about her stab wound? Was she crashed under some brittle from the labyrinth? Was she hungry? Was she tired? And even though Nico confirmed it to be false he couldn't help but wonder if was she dead.
Then right as they were leaving Colorado Springs, Rachel sat bolt upright. "Get off the highway!"
The driver glanced back. "Miss?"
"I saw something, I think. Get off here."
The driver swerved across traffic and took the exit.
"What did you see?" Percy asked eagerly.
There wasn't anything around except hills, grassland, and some scattered farm buildings. Rachel had the driver turn down this unpromising dirt road. They drove by a sign too fast for him to read it, but Rachel said, "Western Museum of Mining & Industry."
For a museum, it didn't look like much—a little house like an old-fashioned railroad station, some drills and pumps, and old steam shovels on display outside.
"There." Rachel pointed to a hole in the side of a nearby hill—a tunnel that was boarded up and chained. "An old mine entrance."
"A door to the Labyrinth?" Annabeth asked. "How can you be sure?"
"Well, look at it!" Rachel said. "I mean...I can see it, okay?"
She thanked the driver and they all got out. He didn't ask for money or anything. "Are you sure you'll be all right, Miss Dare? I'd be happy to call your—"
"No!" Rachel said. "No, really. Thanks, Robert. But we're fine."
The museum seemed to be closed, so nobody bothered them as they climbed the hill to the mine shaft. When they got to the entrance, Percy saw the mark of Daedalus engraved on the padlock, though how Rachel had seen something so tiny all the way from the highway he had no idea. He touched the padlock and the chains fell away. He kicked down a few boards and walked inside. For better or worse, they were back in the Labyrinth.
The dirt tunnels turned to stone. They wound around and split off and basically tried to confuse us, but Rachel had no trouble guiding them. They told her they needed to get back to New York, and she hardly even paused when the tunnels offered a choice.
To his surprise, Rachel and Annabeth started up a conversation as we walked. Annabeth asked her more about her background, but Rachel was evasive, so they started talking about architecture. It turned out that Rachel knew something about it from studying art. They talked about different facades on buildings around New York—"Have you seen this one," blah, blah, blah, so he hung back and walked next to Nico in uncomfortable silence.
"Thanks for coming after us," Percy told him at last.
Nico's eyes narrowed. He didn't seem as angry as he used to—just suspicious, careful. "I owed you for the ranch, Percy. Plus...I wanted to see Daedalus for myself. Minos was right, in a way. Daedalus should die. Nobody should be able to avoid death that long. It's not natural. And I need to make sure Eris is okay. Especially after she went through so much to save me."
"That's what you were after all along," Percy said. "Trading Daedalus's soul for your sister's."
Nico walked for another fifty yards before answering. "It hasn't been easy, you know. Having only the dead for company. Knowing that I'll never be accepted by the living. Only the dead respect me, and they only do that out of fear."
"You could be accepted," Percy said. "You could have friends at camp."
He stared at me. "Do you really believe that, Percy?"
Percy didn't answer because he honestly didn't know. Nico had always been a little different, but since Bianca's death, he'd gotten almost...scary. He had his father's eyes—that intense, manic fire that made you suspect he was either a genius or a madman Like Eris when she was pissed.
Before Percy could figure out what to tell him, he ran into Rachel, who'd stopped in front of him. They'd come to a crossroads. The tunnel continued straight ahead, but a side tunnel T'd off to the right—a circular shaft carved from volcanic rock.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
Rachel stared down the dark tunnel. In the dim flashlight beam, her face looked like one of Nico's specters.
"Is it that way?" Annabeth asked.
"No," Rachel said nervously. "Not at all."
"Why are we stopping then?" Percy asked.
"Listen," Nico said.
He heard wind coming down the tunnel as if the exit were close. And it smelled like something vaguely familiar—something that brought back bad memories.
"Eucalyptus trees," Percy said. "Like in California."
Last winter, when they'd faced Luke and the Titan Atlas on top of Mount Tamalpais, the air had smelled like that.
"There's something evil down that tunnel," Rachel said. "Something very powerful."
"And the smell of death," Nico added, which made Percy feel a whole lot better.
Annabeth and Percy exchanged glances.
"Luke's entrance," she guessed. "The one to Mount Othrys—the Titans' palace."
"I have to check it out," Percy said.
"Percy, no."
"Luke could be right here," Percy said. "Or...or Kronos. I have to find out what's going on. And Eris...She needs me...I can't just leave her there.
Annabeth hesitated. "Then we'll all go."
"No," Percy said. "It's too dangerous. If they got hold of Nico, or Rachel for that matter, Kronos could use them. You stay here and guard them."
"Percy, don't," Rachel said. "Don't go up there alone."
"I'll be quick," Percy promised. "I won't do anything stupid."
Annabeth took her Yankees cap out of her pocket. "At least take this. And be careful."
"Thanks," he put it on. "Here goes nothing." Percy sneaked invisibly down the dark stone tunnel.
...
PERCY STOOD OVER THE COFFIN. The lid was decorated even more intricately than the sides—with scenes of carnage and power. In the middle was an inscription carved in letters even older than Greek, a language of magic. Percy couldn't read it, but he knew what it said: KRONOS, LORD OF TIME.
His hand touched the lid. His fingertips turned blue. Frost gathered on his sword.
Then Percy heard noises behind me—voices approaching. It was now or never. Percy pushed back the golden lid and it fell to the floor with a huge WHOOOOM! Percy lifted his sword, ready to strike. But when he looked inside, he didn't comprehend what he was seeing. Mortal legs, dressed in gray pants. A white T-shirt, hands folded over his stomach. One piece of his chest was missing—a clean black hole about the size of a bullet wound, right where his heart should've been. His eyes were closed. His skin was pale. Blond hair...and a scar running along the left side of his face.
The body in the coffin was Luke's.
Percy's arm dropped. "Luke," he muttered in horror.
Then the voices of the telekhines were right behind him.
"What has happened!" one of the demons screamed when he saw the lid. I stumbled away from the dais, forgetting that I was invisible, and hid behind a column as they approached.
"Careful!" the other demon warned. "Perhaps he stirs. We must present the gifts now. Immediately!"
The two telekhines shuffled forward and knelt, holding up the scythe on its wrapping cloth. "My lord," one said. "Your symbol of power is remade."
Silence. Nothing happened in the coffin.
"You fool," the other telekhine muttered. "He requires the half-blood first."
Ethan stepped back. "Whoa, what do you mean, he requires me?"
"Don't be a coward!" the first telekhine hissed. "He does not require your death. Only your allegiance. Pledge him your service. Renounce the gods. That is all."
"No!" Percy yelled. It was a stupid thing to do, but he charged into the room and took off the cap. "Ethan, don't!"
"Trespasser!" The telekhines bared their seal teeth. "The master will deal with you soon enough. Hurry, boy!"
"Ethan," Percy pleaded, "don't listen to them. Help me destroy it."
Ethan turned toward him, his eye patch blending in with the shadows on his face. His expression was something like pity. "I told you not to spare me, Percy. 'An eye for an eye.' You ever hear that saying? I learned what it means the hard way—when I discovered my godly parent. I'm the child of Nemesis, Goddess of Revenge. And this is what I was made to do."
He turned toward the dais. "I renounce the gods! What have they ever done for me? I will see them destroyed. I will serve Kronos."
The building rumbled. A wisp of blue light rose from the floor at Ethan Nakamura's feet. It drifted toward the coffin and began to shimmer, like a cloud of pure energy. Then it descended on the sarcophagus.
Luke sat bolt upright. His eyes opened, and they were no longer blue. They were golden, the same color as the coffin. The hole in his chest was gone. He was complete. He leaped out of the coffin with ease, and where his feet touched the floor, the marble froze like craters of ice.
He looked at Ethan and the telekhines with those horrible golden eyes, as if he were a newborn baby, not sure what he was seeing. Then he looked at Percy, and a smile of recognition crept across his mouth.
"This body has been well prepared." His voice was like a razor blade running over my skin. It was Luke's, but not Luke's. underneath his voice was another, more horrible sound—an ancient, cold sound like metal scraping against rock. "Don't you think so, Percy Jackson?"
Kronos threw back his head and laughed. The scar on his face rippled. "Luke feared you," the Titan's voice said. "His jealousy and hatred have been powerful tools. It has kept him obedient. For that I thank you."
Ethan collapsed in terror. He covered his face with his hands. The telekhines trembled, holding up the scythe.
Finally, Percy found his nerve. He lunged at the thing that used to be Luke, only to be yanked back by his collar.
"Boy," Kronos said lowly.
Percy turned to the person he grabbed him. Behind him was Jeremiah who had sweat dripping off of him and on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes was Eris's unconscious body.
"You-" Percy started to snap. "Give her to me! You traitor-"
"I'm helping you!" Jeremiah snapped, "Shut up and-"
Right, plummeting Jeremiah would have to wait if he was going to help.
"I should have known better!" Kronos bellowed, "You demigods and your morals! You kill her now!"
Jeremiah grabbed Percy's wrist and they ran.
"STOP THEM!"
But then Percy's feet felt like lead. Time slowed down around him, like the world was turning to Jell-O. When he looked at Jeremiah he seemed to be struggling to move too.
"Run, little hero and the idiot boy," he laughed. "Run!"
Percy glanced back and saw him approaching leisurely, swinging his scythe as if he were enjoying the feel of having it in his hands again. No weapon in the world could stop him. No amount of celestial bronze.
He was ten feet away when Percy heard, "PERCY!"
Rachel's voice.
Something flew past them, and a blue plastic hairbrush hit Kronos in the eye. "Ow!" he yelled. For a moment it was only Luke's voice, full of surprise and pain. Their limbs were freed and they ran straight into Rachel, Nico, and Annabeth, who was standing in the entry hall, their eyes filled with dismay.
"Eris!" Nico said worriedly. Percy didn't hesitate to grab Nico and haul him onto his shoulder and continue running.
"Luke?" Annabeth called. "What—"
With his other hand, Percy grabbed her by the shirt and hauled her after me. Percy ran as fast as he's ever run, straight out of the fortress with Nico on his shoulder. They were almost back to the Labyrinth entrance when Percy heard the loudest bellow in the world—the voice of Kronos, coming back into control. "AFTER THEM!"
"No!" Nico yelled. He clapped his hands together, and a jagged spire of rock the size of an eighteen-wheeler erupted from the ground right in front of the fortress. The tremor it caused was so powerful the front columns of the building came crashing down. Percy heard muffled screams from the telekhines inside. Dust billowed everywhere.
They plunged into the Labyrinth and kept running, the howl of the Titan lord shaking the entire world behind them.
...
THEY RAN UNTIL THEY WERE EXHAUSTED. Rachel steered them away from traps, but they had no destination in mind—only away from that dark mountain and the roar of Kronos.
They stopped in a tunnel of wet white rock, like part of a natural cave. Percy couldn't hear anything behind us, but he didn't feel any safer.
"I can't go any farther," Rachel gasped, hugging her chest.
Annabeth had been crying the entire time they'd been running. Now she collapsed and put her head between her knees. Her sobs echoed in the tunnel. Nico and Percy sat next to each other. He dropped his sword next to Percy's and took a shaky breath.
Jeremiah gently laid Eris's body onto the ground and Nico crawled towards her. "What's wrong with her?!"
Eris lay there on the ground and not moving. She was breathing and her heart was beating but otherwise, she looked dead. Her clothes were torn and a mess. Her left foot was a blood and almost unrecognizable mess and her right arm twisted in the opposite direction. Her hair was choppy and with a single loc in the front now white while the others were her natural brown hair color. Her face was badly bruised and scratched with her scratches on it.
Jeremiah barely saw the punch coming. He hit the ground and Percy murderously stood over him. Rachel stepped between them.
"What did you do?!" Percy asked dangerously.
Jeremiah rubbed his jaw, "Okay I deserved that," he muttered. "I didn't do anything to her...they...they...Luke he...I..had.. to..."
Percy lunged and Rachel and Nico struggled to hold him back. "She almost died because of you! You damn traitor!"
"I never said I was on your side!" Jeremiah snapped, "I'm not here to be a good guy...I...I'm here because of Eris, alright?"
"I don't believe you!"
Annabeth lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying. "What...what was wrong with Luke? What did they do to him?"
Percy gritted his teeth before quickly telling her he'd seen in the coffin, the way the last piece of Kronos's spirit had entered Luke's body when Ethan Nakamura pledged his service.
"No," Annabeth said. "That can't be true. He couldn't—"
"He gave himself over to Kronos," Percy said. "I'm sorry, Annabeth. But Luke is gone."
"No!" she insisted. "You saw when Rachel hit him."
Percy nodded tightly, looking at Rachel with respect. "You hit the Lord of the Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush."
Rachel looked embarrassed. "It was the only thing I had."
"But you saw," Annabeth insisted. "When it hit him, just for a second, he was dazed. He came back to his senses."
"So maybe Kronos wasn't completely settled in the body, or whatever," Percy said, rubbing his knuckles. "It doesn't mean Luke was in control."
"You want him to be evil, is that it?" Annabeth yelled. "You didn't know him before, Percy. I did!"
Something in Percy snapped. He tried to be nice and understanding to Annabeth because he got it, alright, Annabeth was going through a rough time. But did she not see Luke stab Eris? He admits to killing Willow. How could she still stand there and defend him when he had hurt so many people?!
"What is it with you?" Percy snapped. "Why do you keep defending him? He almost offed Eris and you keep defending him! What the hell?! She's our friend Annabeth?! The same friend who saved you from him last year! Get over it! He's gone and I should've killed him when I had the chance!"
"Whoa, you two," Rachel said. "Knock it off!"
Annabeth turned on her. "Stay out of it, mortal girl! If it wasn't for you..."
Whatever she was going to say, her voice broke. She put her head down and sobbed miserably. Percy didn't have any sympathy for her right now.
He looked back at Eris and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, "C'mon, Sweets," he muttered, "You gotta be okay...you just have to, Eris."
"We have to keep moving," Nico said. "He'll send monsters after us."
Nobody was in any shape to run, but Nico was right. Percy hauled himself up and helped Rachel to her feet.
"You did good back there," he told her.
She managed a weak smile. "Yeah, well. I didn't want you to die." She blushed. "I mean...just because, you know. You owe me too many favors. How am I going to collect if you die?"
Percy knelt next to Annabeth. "Hey, I'm sorry. We need to move."
"I know," she said. "I'm...I'm all right."
She was clearly not all right. But she got to her feet.
Jeremiah reached down to pick up Eris, "I got her-"
"I think you've done enough," Percy snapped. He gently picked up Eris's body bridal style and started walking.
"Back to New York," Percy said. "Rachel, can you—"
Percy froze. A few feet in front of them, his flashlight beam fixed on a trampled clump of red fabric lying on the ground. It was a Rasta cap: the one Grover always wore.
The cave floor was mushy and wet from the water dripping off the stalactites. There were large footprints like Tyson's, and smaller ones—goat hooves—leading off to the left.
"We have to follow them," Percy said, adjusting Eris in his arms. "They went that way. It must have been recently."
"What about Camp Half-Blood?" Nico said. "There's no time. Eris needs medical attention now. Her soul...it's...it's getting weaker."
Percy looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. He took a deep breath. Eris was a fighter. She may not always have been but she was now. She'd make it. She always did.
"We have to find them," Annabeth insisted. "They're our friends."
She picked up Grover's smashed cap and forged ahead.
The tunnel was treacherous. It sloped at weird angles and was slimy with moisture. Half the time they were slipping and sliding rather than walking.
Finally, they got to the bottom of a slope and found themselves in a large cave with huge stalagmite columns. Through the center of the room ran an underground river, and Tyson was sitting by the banks, cradling Grover in his lap. Grover's eyes were closed. He wasn't moving.
"Tyson!" Percy yelled.
"Percy! Come quick!"
They ran over to him. Grover wasn't dead, thank the gods, but his whole body trembled like he was freezing to death.
"What the hell happened?" Jeremiah muttered.
"So many things," Tyson murmured. "Large snake. Large dogs. Men with swords. But then...we got close to here. Grover was excited. He ran. Then we reached this room, and he fell. Like this."
"Did he say anything?" Percy asked.
"He said, 'We're close.' Then hit his head on rocks."
Tyson's eyes became water, "Is Eris okay?!"
"She'll be fine buddy," Percy promised. He knelt next to Grover. The only other time he'd seen Grover pass out was in New Mexico when he'd felt the presence of Pan.
Percy shined his flashlight around the cavern. The rocks glittered. At the far end was the entrance to another cave, flanked by gigantic columns of crystal that looked like diamonds. And beyond that entrance...
"Grover," Percy said. "Wake up."
"Uhhhhhhhh."
Annabeth knelt next to him and splashed icy cold river water on his face. "Splurg!" His eyelids fluttered. "Percy? Annabeth? Where..."
"It's okay," Percy said. "You passed out. The presence was too much for you."
"I—I remember. Pan. And...Eris...is she okay?!"
Percy tightened his grip on Eris, "She'll be fine. Once we figure out what exactly happened," he shot a look in Jeremiah's direction he looked away.
The only thing keeping him from killing Jeremiah with his bare hands was the fact he was the only one who knew what happened.
Percy made quick introductions since Tyson and Grover had never met Rachel. Tyson told Rachel she was pretty, which made Annabeth's nostrils flare like she was going to blow fire.
"Anyway," Percy said. "Come on, Grover. Lean on me."
Annabeth and Percy helped him up, and together they waded across the underground river which was a bit of a struggle for Percy because he still insisted on carrying Eris but he would die before he let her go. The current was strong. The water came up to their waists. he willed me to stay dry, which is a handy little ability, but that didn't help the others, and he could still feel the cold, like wading through a snowdrift.
"I think we're in Carlsbad Caverns," Annabeth said, her teeth chattering. "Maybe an unexplored section."
"How do you know?"
"Carlsbad is in New Mexico," she said. "That would explain last winter."
Percy nodded. Grover's swooning episode happened when they passed through New Mexico. That's where he'd felt closest to the power of Pan.
They got out of the water and kept walking. As the crystal pillars loomed larger, he started to feel the power emanating from the next room. He'd been in the presence of gods before, but this was different. Percy's skin tingled with living energy. His weariness fell away as if he'd just gotten a good night's sleep. He could feel myself growing stronger, like one of those plants in a time-lapse video. And the scent coming from the cave was nothing like the dank wet underground. It smelled of trees and flowers and a warm summer day.
"Holy shit," Jeremiah muttered in awe.
Grover whimpered with excitement. Even Nico seemed speechless. They stepped into the cave, and Rachel said, "Oh, wow." The walls glittered with crystals—red, green, and blue. In the strange light, beautiful plants grew—giant orchids, star-shaped flowers, and vines bursting with orange and purple berries that crept among the crystals. The cave floor was covered with green moss. Overhead, the ceiling was higher than a cathedral, sparkling like a galaxy of stars. In the center of the cave stood a Roman-style bed, gilded wood shaped like a curly U, with velvet cushions. Animals lounged around it—but they were animals that shouldn't have been alive. There was a dodo bird, something that looked like a cross between a wolf and a tiger, a huge rodent like the mother of all guinea pigs, and roaming behind the bed, picking berries with its trunk, was a wooly mammoth.
On the bed lay an old satyr. He watched them as they approached, his eyes as blue as the sky. His curly hair was white and so was his pointed beard. Even the goat fur on his legs was frosted with gray. His horns were enormous— glossy brown and curved. There was no way he could've hidden those under a hat the way Grover did. Around his neck hung a set of reed pipes.
Percy really wished Eris was awake to see this.
Grover fell to his knees in front of the bed. "Lord Pan!"
The god smiled kindly, but there was sadness in his eyes. "Grover, my dear, brave satyr. I have waited a very long time for you."
"I...got lost," Grover apologized.
Pan laughed. It was a wonderful sound, like the first breeze of springtime, filling the whole cavern with hope. The tiger-wolf sighed and rested his head on the god's knee. The dodo bird pecked affectionately at the god's hooves, making a strange sound in the back of its bill. Percy could swear it was humming "It's a Small World."
Still, Pan looked tired. His whole form shimmered as if he were made of Mist.
Percy noticed his other friends were kneeling. They had awed looks on their faces. Percy couldn't kneel with Eris on his shoulder so he lightly bowed.
"You have a humming dodo bird," Percy said stupidly.
The god's eyes twinkled. "Yes, that's Dede. My little actress."
Dede the dodo looked offended. She pecked at Pan's knee and hummed something that sounded like a funeral dirge.
"This is the most beautiful place!" Annabeth said. "It's better than any building ever designed."
"I am glad you like it, dear," Pan said. "It is one of the last wild places. My realm above is gone, I'm afraid. Only pockets remain. Tiny pieces of life. This one shall stay undisturbed...for a little longer."
"My lord," Grover said, "please, you must come back with me! The Elders will never believe it! They'll be overjoyed! You can save the wild!"
Pan placed his hand on Grover's head and ruffled his curly hair. "You are so young, Grover. So good and true. I think I chose well."
"Chose?" Grover said. "I—I don't understand."
Pan's image flickered, momentarily turning to smoke. The giant guinea pig scuttled under the bed with a terrified squeal. The wooly mammoth grunted nervously. Dede stuck her head under her wing. Then Pan re-formed.
"I have slept many eons," the god said forlornly. "My dreams have been dark. I wake fitfully, and each time my waking is shorter. Now we are near the end."
"What?" Grover cried. "But no! You're right here!"
"My dear satyr," Pan said. "I tried to tell the world, two thousand years ago. I announced it to Lysas, a satyr very much like you. he lived in Ephesos, and he tried to spread the word."
Annabeth's eyes widened. "The old story. A sailor passing by the coast of Ephesos heard a voice crying from the shore, 'Tell them the great god Pan is dead.'"
"But that wasn't true!" Grover said.
"Your kind never believed it," Pan said. "You sweet, stubborn satyrs refused to accept my passing. And I love you for that, but you only delayed the inevitable. You only prolonged my long, painful passing, my dark twilight sleep. It must end."
"No!" Grover's voice trembled.
"Dear Grover," Pan said. "You must accept the truth. Your companion, Nico, understands."
Nico nodded slowly. "He's dying. He should have died long ago. This...this is more like a memory."
"But gods can't die," Grover said.
"They can fade," Pan said, "when everything they stood for is gone. When they cease to have power, their sacred places disappear. The wild, my dear Grover, is so small now, so shattered, that no god can save it. My realm is gone. That is why I need you to carry a message. You must go back to the council. You must tell the satyrs, and the dryads, and the other spirits of nature, that the great god Pan is dead. Tell them of my passing. Because they must stop waiting for me to save them. I cannot. The only salvation you must make yourself. Each of you must—"
He stopped and frowned at the dodo bird, who had started humming again.
"Dede, what are you doing?" Pan demanded. "Are you singing Kumbaya again?"
Dede looked up innocently and blinked her yellow eyes.
Pan sighed. "Everybody's a cynic. But as I was saying, my dear Grover, each of you must take up my calling."
"But...no!" Grover whimpered.
"Be strong," Pan said. "You have found me. And now you must release me. You must carry on my spirit. It can no longer be carried by a god. It must be taken up by all of you."
Pan looked straight at Percy with his clear blue eyes, and Percy realized he wasn't just talking about satyrs. He meant half-bloods, too, and humans. Everyone.
"Percy Jackson," the god said. "I know what you have seen today. I know your doubts. But I give you this news: when the time comes, you will not be ruled by fear."
He turned to Annabeth. "Daughter of Athena, your time is coming. You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined."
He looked at Jeremiah, "Ah, son of Thanatos, you hurt may hurt now but soon you will be at peace. Family is important, you should cherish them as much as you can."
Jeremiah stared at the ground with a clenched fist.
Then he looked at Tyson. "Master Cyclops, do not despair. Heroes rarely live up to our expectations. But you, Tyson—your name shall live among the Cyclopes for generations. And Miss Rachel Dare..."
Rachel flinched when he said her name. She backed up like she was guilty of something, but Pan only smiled. He raised his hand in a blessing.
"I know you believe you cannot make amends," he said. "But you are just as important as your father."
"I—" Rachel faltered. A tear traced her cheek.
"I know you don't believe this now," Pan said. "But look for opportunities. They will come."
"And for Essence Lewis when she awakens," Pan started, "she is destined for greatness far from any demigod before her. And eventually, she will raise above all odds. May she soon learn being a half-blood is not the curse she deems it to be."
Finally, he turned back toward Grover. "My dear satyr," Pan said kindly, "will you carry my message?"
"I—I can't."
"You can," Pan said. "You are the strongest and the bravest. Your heart is true. You have believed in me more than anyone ever has, which is why you must bring the message, and why you must be the first to release me."
"I don't want to."
"I know," the god said. "But my name, Pan...originally it meant rustic. Did you know that? But over the years it has come to mean all. The spirit of the wild must pass to all of you now. You must tell each one you meet: if you would find Pan, take up Pan's spirit. Remake the wild, a little at a time, each in your own corner of the world. You cannot wait for anyone else, even a god, to do that for you."
Grover wiped his eyes. Then slowly he stood. "I've spent my whole life looking for you. Now...I release you."
Pan smiled. "Thank you, dear satyr. My final blessing."
He closed his eyes, and the god dissolved. White mist divided into wisps of energy, but this kind of energy wasn't scary like the blue power Percy'd seen from Kronos. It filled the room. A curl of smoke went straight into my mouth, and Grover's and the others. A little more of it went into Grover. The crystals dimmed. The animals gave them a sad look. Dede the dodo sighed. Then they all turned gray and crumbled to dust. The vines withered. And they were alone in a dark cave, with an empty bed.
Percy switched on his flashlight.
Grover took a deep breath.
"Are...are you okay?" Percy asked him.
He looked older and sadder. He took his cap from Annabeth, brushed off
the mud, and stuck it firmly on his curly head.
"We should go now," he said, "and tell them. The great god Pan is dead."
Thoughts? Please comment it helps me update!!!
Are you surprised? Do you like the chapter? Hate it? Thoughts on "Essence"? Jeremiah? Percy? What do you think will happened next?
Also did any of y'all catch the Truth reference from full metal alchemist brother hood when "Essence" did her speech? She's definitely a fun character to write.