It took four people to eventually pry Pollux off Cressida and Castor, and as much as Percy and Annabeth tried, they couldn't get Cressida to calm down or let go.
People use the expression that their heart was ripped out too often to take it seriously. And though she couldn't stop her heart from getting ripped out, no one could take her away from her brother even though her brother had been taken away from her.
Pollux was eventually able to pull himself together to push past Percy and Annabeth and kneel down next to his sister. "Cress? Come on. We have to let him go," he whispered as he placed a hand on her back, and she was still crying as she sat up.
And both Percy and Annabeth were reduced to tears at the sight of their friend as she wiped her fingers on an exposed piece of her shirt before she reached out to close Castor's eyes with shaky hands. And she and Pollux gripped onto each other like a lifeline as the Apollo campers carried their brother away on a stretcher.
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There were too many goodbyes, too many shrouds actually covering bodies instead of just being burned. Cressida and Pollux were still in their battle clothes, their armour gone, and their bodies still covered in nicks and scratches, as they stood by their brother's funeral pyre. They hadn't said a word to anybody as they stood there and Pollux covered his twin with a deep purple shroud with golden grapevines, their three initials etched on the top of the silk. Pollux tried to say a few words, but he choked up, unable to get anything out as his little sister stepped forward, trying to wipe away her tears and only smearing the grime on her face. Her voice was utterly raw and broken and she had to stop a few times, but she spoke for her brother.
"Castor was the best of us. His favourite place in camp was the strawberry fields because he hated the smell of grapes," she said, a whisper of a smile on her face as she thought about it and about him. "He is - he was... my big brother. He bandaged my knees when I fell off the obstacle course. He-he held an ice pack on my hands when I got burned on the lava wall. He taught me how to fight. He used to love watching me and Pollux argue. He- he was - was-"
Pollux was right behind her as she hid her face in her hands for a second and Percy's heart broke for her. It absolutely killed him to see her like this and he wasn't able to do anything about it.
Pollux had his arm around her as they both reached for the torch and lit the funeral pyre in the middle of the amphitheatre, and within seconds the row of shrouds was engulfed in fire, sending smoke and sparks up to the stars.
The next day was spent treating the wounded as the satyrs and dryads worked to repair the damage to the woods, but Cressida and Pollux were nowhere to be seen. Percy and Annabeth took turns dropping off plates of food in front of their door, but they still didn't see them.
It was only at noon when the Council of Cloven Elders called an emergency meeting in the sacred grove did they appear. Cressida was in an oversized camp half-blood t-shirt which was obviously Castor's, and a pair of denim shorts. Her hair was in a high ponytail, her grey section standing out as she was tucked under Pollux's arm, both their eyes red and puffy and covered with dark circles.
The three senior satyrs were there, along with Chiron, who was in wheelchair form. His broken horse leg was still mending, so he would be confined to the chair for a few months until the leg was strong enough to take his weight. The grove was filled with satyrs and dryads and naiads up from the water – hundreds of them, anxious to hear what would happen. Juniper, Annabeth, Percy, Cressida and Pollux stood by Grover's side.
Silenus wanted to exile Grover immediately, but Chiron persuaded him to at least hear evidence first, so they had recounted what had happened in the crystal cavern with Pan, Annabeth covering Cressida's part. Then several eyewitnesses from the battle described the weird sound Grover had made, which drove the Titans' army back underground after Cressida had either killed them or driven them mad.
"It was panic," insisted Juniper. "Grover summoned the power of the wild god."
"Panic?" Percy asked.
"Percy," Chiron explained, "during the first war of the gods and the Titans, Lord Pan let forth a horrible cry that scared away the enemy armies. It is – it was his greatest power – a massive wave of fear that helped the gods win the day. The word panic is named after Pan, you see. And Grover used that power, calling it forth from within himself."
"Preposterous!" Silenus bellowed. "Sacrilege! It was Miss Lynn's magic that drove them away or perhaps the wild god favoured us with a blessing. Or perhaps Grover's music was so awful it scared the enemy away!"
"That wasn't it, sir," Grover said, sounding rather calm.
"He let his spirit pass into all of us. We must act. Each of us must work to renew the wild, to protect what's left of it. We must spread the word. Pan is dead. There is no one but us."
"After two thousand years of searching, this is what you would have us believe?" Silenus cried. "Never! We must continue the search. Exile the traitor!"
Some of the older satyrs muttered assent.
"A vote!" Silenus demanded. "Who would believe this ridiculous young satyr, anyway?"
"I would," said a familiar voice and everyone turned.
Dionysus was striding into the grove wearing a formal black suit, a deep purple tie and a violet dress shirt. His dark curly hair was carefully combed, and his eyes were bloodshot, and his face flushed with grief.
"Papa!" Cressida cried as she went running over to him, the god already holding out his arms for her.
"My poor Jewel. My sweet, strong Jewel," he cooed as he hugged her tight before reaching out another hand for Pollux to join the hug, the god still taller than his son but only just.
The satyrs all stood respectfully and bowed as he pulled away from his children and waved his hand and a new chair grew out of the ground next to Silenus's - a throne made of grapevines.
Dionysus sat down and crossed his legs, making a nodding gesture with his head as his children approached. Cressida took her usual perch on the arm of his throne while Pollux simply stood at his father's side, their hands linked. The sky above them rumbled with thunder but none of them seemed to care before Dionysus snapped his fingers and a satyr hurried forward with a plate of cheese and crackers and Diet Cokes. "Eat," he ordered his children, his voice demanding and a little angry and Percy and Annabeth couldn't help but wonder what happened to the plates of food they'd left outside their doors, knocking each time so they'd know it was there.
Pollux sat down on the opposing armrest as he reached for some crackers, handing some to his sister who shook her head but took a Coke can that she didn't have the energy to open.
The god of wine looked around at the assembled crowd. "Miss me?"
The satyrs fell over themselves nodding and bowing. "Oh, yes, very much, sire!"
"Well, I did not miss this place!" Dionysus snapped, likely blaming everyone around them for Castor. "I bear bad news, my friends. Evil news. The minor gods are changing sides. Morpheus has gone over to the enemy. Hecate, Janus and Nemesis, as well. Zeus knows how many more."
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
"Strike that," Dionysus said. "Even Zeus doesn't know."
They didn't think it was possible for Cressida to look even more despairing than before. "Morpheus?" she muttered, and both her father and brother looked at her, Dionysus simply taking the can from her hands as he popped it open.
"Nothing will happen to you Jewel, I will see to it," her father promised but she'd didn't feel hopeful...she didn't know how to be happy again. Pollux stood as he made his way around his father's throne to his sister's side.
"I got you, Cress. We're gonna be ok," he whispered as he kissed her temple and helped lift the can to her lips.
"Now," Dionysus announced as he sat back in his throne. "I want to hear Grover's story. Again, from the top."
"But, my lord," Silenus protested. "It's just nonsense!"
Dionysus's eyes flared with purple fire as the vines on his thrones reared back like snakes about to strike. "I have just learned that my son Castor is dead, Silenus. I am not in a good mood. You would do well to humour me."
Silenus gulped, and waved at Grover to start again, Cressida stroking the vines as if they actually were serpents and they returned to their original place.
When Grover was done, Mr D nodded. "It sounds like just the sort of thing Pan would do. Grover is right. The search is tiresome. You must start thinking for yourselves." He turned to a satyr. "Bring my daughter some microwaved popcorn. And some Cheez Whiz for my son. Now."
"Yes, sire!" The satyr scampered off.
"We must exile the traitor!" Silenus insisted.
"I say no," Dionysus countered. "That is my vote."
"I vote no as well," Chiron put in.
Silenus set his jaw stubbornly. "All in favour of the exile?" He and the other two old satyrs raised their hands. "Three to two," Silenus said.
"Ah, yes," Dionysus said, "But unfortunately for you, as they are half god, should my two children agree on a vote, they equal the vote of another god. And they vote -"
"No," they said in unison, Pollux now holding the can as Cressida nibbled on a few pieces of popcorn from the bowl the satyr had brought back.
"And now we are tied," Dionysus said and Cressida's friends looked relieved, Percy actually grateful the god was back.
Silenus stood, indignant. "This is an outrage! The council cannot stand at an impasse."
"Then let it be dissolved!" Mr D said. "I don't care."
Silenus bowed stiffly, along with his two friends, and they left the grove. About twenty satyrs went with them. The rest stood around, murmuring uncomfortably.
"Don't worry," Grover told them. "We don't need a council to tell us what to do. We can figure it out ourselves." He told them again the words of Pan – how they must save the wild a little at a time. He started dividing the satyrs into groups – which ones would go to the national parks, which ones would search out the last wild places, which ones would defend the parks in big cities.
"Well," Annabeth said to me, "Grover seems to be growing up."