ON THIS SPRING DAY
━━━━━ chapter fifteen
━━━━━ "WE WILL NEVER make it," said Zoë. "We are moving too slowly. But we cannot leave the Ophiotaurus."
Bessie mooed from the water. He swam next to Percy as they jogged along the waterfront. The five had left the shopping center pier far behind. They were heading towards the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was a lot further than Violet had ever realized. The sun was already dipping in the west.
"I don't get it," said the son of Poseidon. "Why do we have to get there at sunset?"
"The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset," Zoë said. "We can only enter their garden as day changes to night."
Violet chewed on her bottom lip nervously. "And what happens if we miss it?"
"Tomorrow is winter solstice. If we miss sunset tonight, we would have to wait until tomorrow evening. And by then, the Olympian Council will be over. We must free Lady Artemis tonight."
Or Annabeth will be dead, and Bianca would have given her life for nothing, Violet thought, but didn't say.
"We need a car," Thalia said.
"But what about Bessie?" Percy asked.
Grover stopped in his tracks. "I've got an idea! The Ophiotaurus can appear in different bodies of water, right?"
"Well, yeah." Percy nodded. "I mean—he was in Long Island Sound. Then he just popped into the water at Hoover Dam. And now he's here."
"So maybe we could coax him back to Long Island Sound," Grover said. "Then Chiron could help us get him to Olympus."
"But he was following me," said Percy, pointing to his chest. "If I'm not there, would he know where he's going?"
Bessie mooed forlornly beneath them.
"I ... I can show him," Grover said. "I'll go with him."
"But, Grover," Violet started, knowing that swimming with goat hooves was not easy. "I mean—swimming is hard for you. Are you sure?"
"I'm the only one who can talk to him, Violet," the satyr said. "It makes sense."
He bent down and said something in Bessie's ear. Bessie shivered, then made a contented, lowing sound.
"The blessing of the Wild," Grover said, straightning to his full height. "That should help with safe passage. Percy, pray to your dad, too. See if he will grant us safe passage through the seas."
Violet didn't understand how Grover and Bessie could possibly swim back to Long Island from California. Then again, monsters didn't travel the same way as humans. She had seen plenty of evidence of that.
Percy straightened, looking out to the ocean sprawled before them. "Dad," he said. "Help us. Get the Ophiotaurus and Grover safely to camp. Protect them at sea."
"A prayer like that needs a sacrifice," Thalia pointed out. "Something big."
They were silent as everybody racked their brains for anything to offer to the God of the Seas. Slowly, Violet wrapped her fingers around the clasp keeping the lion skincoat on her shoulders. She unclasped it, tossing it to Percy.
"Violet," Grover said, his eyes widening. "Are you sure? That lion skin ... that's really helpful. Hercules used it!"
The daughter of Eros's eyes flickered over to Zoë, who was watching carefully. Violet quickly avetered her eyes, looking back to Percy. The son of Poseidon was holding onto the coat tightly, looking between Violet and Zoë; he had caught on, too.
Percy swallowed. "If we're going to survive," he said, "it won't be because we've got a lion-skin cloak. None of are Hercules."
He threw the coat into the bay. It turned back into a golden lion skin, flashing in the light. Then, as it began to sink beneath the waves, it seemed to dissolve into sunlight on the water. The sea breeze picked up.
Grover took a deep breath. "Well, no time to lose."
The satyr jumped in the water and immediately began to sink. Bessie glided next to him and let Grover take hold of his neck.
"Be careful," Percy told them.
"We will," Grover promised. "Okay, um ... Bessie? We're going to Long Island. It's east. Over that way."
Bessie mooed.
"Yes," Grover answered. "Long Island. It's this island. And ... it's long. Oh, let's just start."
Bessie lurched forward. He started to submerge and Grover said, "I can't breathe underwater! Just thought I'd mention—"
Glub!
Under they went, and Violet hoped Poseidon's protection would extend to little things, like breathing.
"Well, that is one problem addressed," Zoë said. "But how can we get to my sisters' garden?"
Violet took a deep breath, trying to steele her nerves. "Thalia's right; we need a car. But there's no one down here we could ask. And, I mean, I don't think Zoë will let us, uh, borrow one."
Zoë frowned. "You are correct. I will not."
"Wait," Thalia said. She started rifling through her backpack. "There is somebody in San Francisco who can help us. I've got the address here somewhere."
"Who?" Percy asked.
The daughter of Zeus pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and held it up. "Professor Chase. Annabeth's dad."
🌷
After hearing Annabeth gripe about her father for two years, Violet was expecting him to have devil horns and fangs. She was not expecting him to be wearing an old-fashioned aviator's cap and goggles. He looked so weird, with his eyes bugging out through the glasses, that the four questers took a step back on the front porch.
"Hello," he said in a friendly voice. "Are you delivering my airplanes?"
Thalia, Zoë, Violet, and Percy looked at each other warily.
"Um, no, sir. We aren't delivering your ... airplanes," the daughter of Eros spoke first, her voice tentative.
"Drat." He cursed under his breath. "I need three more Sopwith Camels."
"Um, of course you do," Violet agreed, though she had no clue what he was talking about. "Look—we're friends of Annabeth."
"Annabeth?" The man straightened as if Violet had just given him an electric shock. "Is she all right? Has something happened?"
None of them answered, but their faces must've told him that something was very wrong. He took off his cap and goggles. He had rows of black hair braided back across the top of his hair. His intense brown eyes bore into them. He was handsome, Violet figured, for an older guy, but it looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days, and his shirt was buttoned wrong, so one side of his collar stuck up higher than the other side.
"You'd better come in," he said, ushering them inside.
It didn't look like a house that had just been moved into. There were LEGO robots on the stairs and two cats sleeping on the sofa in the living room. The coffee table was stacked with magazines, and a little kid's winter coat was spread on the floor. The whole house smelled like fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. There was jazz music coming from the kitchen. It seemed like a messy, happy kind of home—the kind of place that had been lived in forever.
Violet's stomach churned at the sight. Her mind flashed to the empty apartment she had left Dahlia all alone in.
"Dad!" a little boy screamed. "He's taking apart my robots!"
"Bobby," Dr. Chase called absently, "don't take apart your brother's robots."
"I'm Bobby," the little boy protested. "He's Matthew!"
"Matthew," Dr. Chase called, "don't take apart your brother's robots!"
"Okay, Dad!"
Dr. Chase turned to the four behind him. "We'll go upstairs to my study. This way."
"Honey?" a woman called. Annabeth's stepmom appeared in the living room, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She was a pretty Asian woman with red highlighted hair tied in a bun.
"Who are our guests?" she asked.
"Oh," Dr. Chase said. "This is ..."
He stared at them blankly.
"Frederick," Annabeth's stepmother chided. "You forgot to ask them their names?"
The questers introduced themselves a little uneasily, but Mrs. Chase seemed really nice. She asked if they were hungry. They admitted they were, and she told them she'd bring them some cookies, sandwiches, and sodas.
"Dear," Dr. Chase said. "They came about Annabeth."
After the stories Violet had heard about her, she half expected Mrs. Chase to turn into a raving lunatic at the mention of the daughter of Athena, but she just pursed her lips and looked concerned.
"All right. Go on up to the study and I'll bring you some food." She smiled at Percy and Violet. "Nice meeting you, Percy, Violet. I've heard a lot about you."
🌷
Upstairs, they walked into Dr. Chase's study and Percy gasped loudly.
The room was wall-to-wall books, but what really caught Violet's attention as she entered were the war toys lining the room. There was a huge table with miniature tanks and soldiers fighting along a blue-painted river, with hills and fake trees and stuff. Old-fashioned biplanes hung on strings from the ceiling, tilted at crazy angles like they were in the middle of a dogfight.
Dr. Chase smiled. "Yes. The Third Battle of Ypres. I'm writing a paper, you see, on the use of Sopwith Camels to strafe enemy lines. I believe they played a much greater role than they've been given credit for."
He plucked a biplane from its string and swept it across the battlefield, making airplane engine noises as he knocked down little German soldiers.
"Oh. That sounds ... really interesting, sir." Violet glanced around the room nervously, licking her lips to suppress her smile. She knew Annabeth's dad was a professor of military history. She'd never mentioned he played with toy soldiers.
Zoë came over and studied the battlefield. "The German lines were further from the river."
Dr. Chase stared at her. "How do you know that?"
"I was there," the Hunter said matter-of-factly. "Artemis wanted to show us how horrible war was, the way mortal men fight each other. And how foolish, too. The battle was a complete waste."
Dr. Chase opened his mouth in shock. "You—"
"She's a Hunter, sir," Thalia said. "But that's not why we're here. We need—"
"You saw the Sopwith Camels?" Dr. Chase asked, cutting off Thalia. "How many were there? What formations did they fly?"
"Sir," Thalia broke in again, frowning. "Annabeth is in danger."
That got his attention. He set the biplane down.
"Of course," he said. "Tell me everything."
It wasn't easy, but they tried. Meanwhile, the afternoon light was fading outside. They were running out of time.
When they finished, Dr. Chase collapsed in his leather recliner. He laced his hands. "My poor brave Annabeth. We must hurry."
"Sir, we need transportation to Mount Tamalpais," Zoë said. "And we need it immediately."
"I'll drive you. Hm, it would be faster to fly in my Camel, but it only seats two."
"Whoa, you have an actual biplane?" Percy said.
"Down at Crissy Field," Dr. Chase said proudly. "That's the reason I had to move here. My sponsor is a private collector with some of the finest World War I relics in the world. He let me restore the Sopwith Camel—"
"Sir," Violet cut in hotly. "Just a car. And—and it would be better if we went without you. It would be too dangerous for mortals."
Dr. Chase frowned uncomfortably. "Now wait a minute, young lady. Annabeth is my daughter. Dangerous or not, I ... I can't just—"
"Snacks," Mrs. Chase announced. She pushed through the door with a tray full of peanut butter and jam sandwiches and Cokes and cookies fresh out of the oven, the chocolate chips still gooey.
Thalia, Violet, and Percy inhaled a few cookies while Zoë said, "I can drive, sir. I'm not as young as I look. I promise not to destroy your car."
Mrs. Chase knitted her eyebrows. "What's this about?"
"Annabeth is in danger," Dr. Chase said. "On Mount Tam. I would drive them, but ... apparently, it's no place for mortals."
It sounded like it was really hard for him to get that last part out. Violet wondered if she was in danger if her mother would want to go with a gaggle of teenagers to try and help her, even if it was dangerous for mortals.
She waited for Mrs. Chase to say no. Seriously—who would let a bunch of teenagers take your car and go to a place that is supposed to be dangerous? To Violet's surprise, Mrs. Chase nodded. "Then they'd better get going."
"Right!" Dr. Chase jumped up and started patting his pockets. "My keys ..."
His wife sighed. "Frederick, honestly. You'd lose your head if it weren't wrapped inside your aviator hat. The keys are hanging on the peg by the front door."
"Right!" Dr. Chase said.
Zoë grabbed a sandwich. "Thank you both. We should go. Now."
They hustled out the door and down the stairs, the Chases right behind them.
"Percy, Violet," Mrs. Chase called as they were leaving, "tell Annabeth ... Tell her she still has a home here, will you? Remind her of that."
The daughter of Eros took one last look at the messy living room, Annabeth's half-brothers spilling LEGOs and arguing, the smell of cookies filling the air. It didn't seem bad, not at all, but she could also admit that people could put on a front. She and her mother had to the public; they acted like the perfect mother-daughter duo. But Violet had run away, so how great could her and Dahlia's relationship truly be?
But then again, she still loved her mother. And Violet was sure Annabeth loved her father, even if they didn't get along.
Before she could do anything, Percy nodded. "We'll tell her," he promised.
She and Percy ran out to the yellow VW convertible parked in the driveway. The sun was going down. Violet figured they had less than an hour to save Annabeth.
🌷
Thalia slammed her fist on the dashboard in frustration. "Can't this thing go any faster?" she demanded angrily.
Zoë glared at her. "I cannot control traffic."
"You both sound like my mother," Percy said.
"Shut up!" they said in unison.
Zoë weaved in and out of traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. The sun was sinking on the horizon when they finally got into Marin County and exited the highway. The roads were insanely narrow, winding through forests and up the sides of hills and around the edges of steep ravines. Zoë didn't slow down at all.
"Why does everything smell like cough drops?" Percy asked.
"Eucalyptus." Zoë pointed to the huge trees all around them.
Violet frowned, removing her mind from the topic of family. "The stuff koala bears eat?"
"And monsters," added Zoë. "They love chewing the leaves. Especially dragons."
"Dragons chew eucalyptus leaves?"
"Believe me," Zoë said, "if you had dragon breath, you would chew eucalyptus, too."
Violet didn't question her, but she did keep her eyes peeled as they drove. Ahead of them loomed Mount Tamalpais. Violet knew that in terms of mountains all across the globe that Mount Tamalpais was small, but it looked plenty huge as they were driving toward it.
"So that's the Mountain of Despair?" Percy asked.
"Yes." Zoë's voice was strained.
"Why do they call it that?"
The Hunter was silent for almost a mile before answering. "After the war between the Titans and the gods, many of the Titans were punished and imprisoned. Kronos was sliced to pieces and thrown into Tartarus. Kronos's right-hand man, the general of his forces, was imprisoned up there, on the summit, just beyond the Garden of the Hesperides."
Violet sat forward in her seat. "The General? So—he's the General I've been hearing about?"
Clouds seemed to be swirling around Mount Tamalpais's peak, as though the mountain were drawing them in, spinning them like a top.
Percy frowned at the peak. "What's going on up there? A storm?"
Zoë didn't answer. Violet got the feeling that the Hunter knew exactly what the clouds meant, and she didn't like it.
"We have to concentrate," Thalia said. "The Mist is really strong here."
"The magical kind or the natural kind?" Percy asked.
"Both."
The grey clouds swirled even thicker over the mountain, and they kept driving straight toward them. The four were out of the forest now, into wide open spaces of cliffs and grass and rocks and fog.
Violet happened to glance down at the ocean as they passed a scenic curve, and she saw something that made her jump out of her seat; a gigantic, white ship. It looked like a cruise ship.
She launched herself closer to her window, nearly knocking her head into the glass. "Guys—look!"
But before any of the three could, they turned a corner and the ocean disappeared behind the hills.
"What?" Thalia asked.
"A white ship," Violet said. "Docked near the beach. It looked like a cruise ship."
The daughter of Zeus's eyes widened. "Luke's ship?"
Violet wanted to say that she wasn't sure, but she knew better. They weren't lucky enough to just have coincidences. The Princess Andromeda, Luke's demon cruise ship, was docked at that beach.
"We will have company, then," Zoë said grimly. "Kronos's army."
Violet was about to answer, when suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end. Thalia shouted, "Stop the car. Now!"
Zoë must've sensed something was wrong, because she slammed on the brakes without question. The yellow VW spun twice before coming to a stop at the edge of the cliff.
"Out!" Thalia opened the door and jumped out. Violet ripped the seatbelt across her chest off and was getting ready to jump out when Percy grabbed her arm and pulled her out with him. They rolled across the pavement, and the next second: BOOM!
Lightning flashed, and Dr. Chase's Volkswagen erupted like a canary-yellow grenade. Violet crouched down, putting her arms over her head. Not that would've protected her or anything. What protected her the most were Thalia and Aegis. The daughter of Zeus appeared above her and Percy, bracing the shield over the three. Violet heard a sound like metal rain and saw the wreckage surrounding them. One of the VW's doors had impaled itself in the street. The smoking bonnet was spinning in circles. Pieces of yellow metal were strewn across the road.
Percy stared up at Thalia in shock. "You saved my life."
She didn't seem to hear him. "One shall perish by a parent's hand," she muttered. "Curse him. He would destroy me? Me?"
It took Violet a second to realize she was talking about her father, Zeus. And she understood how Thalia had come to that conclusion. The gods weren't good parents, especially the twelve Olympians. They worried more for themselves than their children.
"Oh, hey, that couldn't have been Zeus's lightning bolt," Percy said quickly. "No way."
"Whose, then?" Thalia demanded.
"I don't know. Zoë said Kronos's name. Maybe he—"
Thalia shook her head, looking angry and stunned. "No. That wasn't it."
"Wait," said Violet, pulling herself to her feet. "Where's Zoë? Zoë!"
The two followed her lead and started searching for the Hunter. Violet looked inside the blasted VW; nothing was there. Nothing in either direction down the road. Violet looked down the cliff. No sign of the Hunter.
"Zoë!" Percy shouted.
Then she was standing right next to him, grabbing his arm tighly. "Silence, fool! Do you want to wake Ladon?"
Violet's eyes widened. "You mean we're here?"
"Very close." Zoë nodded. "Follow me."
Sheets of fog were drifting right across the road. Zoë stepped into one of them, and, when the fog passed, she was no longer there. Percy and Violet shared a look as Thalia stopped behind the two.
"Concentrate on Zoë," the daughter of Zeus advised. "We are following her. Go straight into the fog and keep that in mind."
"Thalia," Violet spoke up, giving her a concerned look. "About the pier ... with the manticore, you weren't actually thinking of ..." She trailed off, unable to finish.
"I don't want to talk about it." Thalia's tone was icy and her expression was stoney.
Violet swallowed and pushed her luck. "You wouldn't actually have, would you?"
Thalia hesitated. "I was just shocked. That's all."
Percy frowned. "Zeus didn't send that lighting bolt at the car. It was Kronos," he insisted. "He's trying to manipulate you, make you angry at your dad."
Thalia took a deep breath. "I know you're trying to make me feel better. Thanks. But come on. We need to go."
She stepped into the fog, into the Mist, and Violet followed.
When the fog cleared, Violet was still on the side of the mountain, but the road was dirt. The grass was thicker. The sunset made a blood-red slash across the sea. The summit of the mountain seemed closer now, swirling with storm clouds and raw power. There was only one path to the top, directly in front of them. And it led through a lush meadow of shadows and flowers: the garden of twilight, just like Violet had seen in her dream.
🌷
If it hadn't been for the enormous dragon, the garden would've been the most beautiful place Violet had ever seen. The grass shimmered with silvery evening light, and the flowers were such brilliant colors they almost glowed in the dark. Stepping stones of polished black marble led around either side of a five-story tall apple tree, every bough glittering with golden apples—true golden apples. As soon as Violet smelled their fragrance, she knew that one bite would be the most delicious thing she'd ever taste.
"The apples of immortality," Thalia said. "Hera's wedding gift from Zeus."
Part of Violet wanted to step right up and pluck one, except for the dragon that coiled around the tree.
The serpent's body was as thick as a booster rocket, glinting with coppery scales. It had more heads than she could count, as if a hundred deadly pythons had been fused together. It appeared to be asleep. The heads lay curled in a big spaghetti-like mound on the grass, all the eyes closed.
Then the shadows in front of them began to move. There was a beautiful, eerie singing, like voices from the bottom of a well. Percy reached for Riptide, but Zoë stopped his hand. Four figures shimmered into existence—four young women who looked very much like Zoë. They all wore white Greek chitons. Their skin was like caramel. Silky black hair tumbled loose around their shoulders. It was strange, but Violet had never realized how beautiful Zoë was until she saw her siblings, the Hesperides. They looked just like Zoë—gorgeous, but very dangerous.
"Sisters," Zoë greeted.
"We do not see any sister," one of the girls said coldly. "We see three half-bloods and a Hunter. All of whom shall soon die."
"You've got it wrong." Percy stepped forward. "Nobody is going to die."
The girls studied him. They had eyes like volcanic rock, glassy and completely black.
"Perseus Jackson," one of them said.
"Yes," mused another. "I do not see why he is a threat."
"Who said I was a threat?" asked the son of Poseidon.
The first Hesperid glanced behind her, toward the top of the mountain. "They fear thee. They are unhappy that this one has not yet killed thee."
She pointed at Thalia.
"Tempting sometimes," the black-haired girl admitted. "But no thanks. He's my friend."
"There are no friends here, Daughter of Zeus," the Hesperide said. "Only enemies. Go back."
"We can't—won't," said Violet. "Not without Annabeth."
"And Artemis," Zoë added. "We must approach the mountain."
"You know he will kill thee," her sister said. "You are no match for him."
"Artemis must be freed," Zoë insisted. "Let us pass."
The girl shook her head. "You have no rights here anymore. We have only to raise our voices and Ladon will wake."
"He will not hurt me," Zoë said.
"No? And what about thy so-called friends?"
Violet knew that she would have no chance against Ladon. She glanced at Zoe warily, trying to guess what she was going to do. But the Hunter did the last thing Violet expected.
Zoe shouted, "Ladon! Wake!"
The dragon stirred, glittering like a mountain of pennies. The Hesperides yelped and scattered. The lead girl said to Zoë, "Are you mad?"
"You never had any courage, sister," Zoë said. "That is thy problem."
The dragon Ladon was writhing now, a hundred heads whipping around, tongues flickering and tasting the air. Zoë took a step forward, her arms raised.
Violet put her hand out, trying to stop the Hunter. "Zoë—no!" she said worriedly. "You're not a Hesperid anymore. He'll kill you."
"Ladon is trained to protect the tree," Zoë said. "Skirt round the edges of the garden. Go up the mountain. As long as I am a bigger threat, he should ignore thee."
"Should," Percy noticed. "Not exactly reassuring."
"It is the only way," Zoë insisted. "Even the four of us together cannot fight him."
"That news doesn't help," Violet hissed.
Ladon opened his mouths. The sound of a hundred heads hissing at once sent a shiver down Violet's spine, and that was before his breath hit her in the face. The smell was like acid. It made her eyes burn, her skin crawl, and her hair stand on end.
Thalia went left. Violet and Percy went right. Zoë walked straight towards the monster.
"It's me, my little dragon," said the Hunter. "Zoë has come back."
Ladon shifted forward, then back. Some of the mouths closed. Some kept hissing. Dragon confusion. Meanwhile, the Hesperides shimmered and turned into shadows. The voice of the eldest whispered, "Fool."
"I used to feed thee by hand," Zoë continued, speaking in a soothing voice as she stepped towards the golden tree. "Do you still like lamb's meat?"
The dragon's eyes glinted.
Thalia, Violet, and Percy were about halfway around the garden. Ahead, Violet could see a single rocky trail leading up to the black peak of the mountain. The storm swirled above it, spinning on the summit like it was the axis of the whole world.
They had almost made it out of the meadow when something went wrong. She felt the dragon's mood shift. Maybe Zoë got too close. Maybe the dragon realized he was hungry. Whatever the reason, he lunged at Zoë.
Two thousand years of training kept her alive. She dodged one set of slashing fangs and tumbled under another, weaving through the dragon's heads as she ran in our direction, gagging from the monster's horrible breath.
Percy drew Riptide to help. Violet pulled out her boy, wanting to help.
"No!" Zoë panted. "Run!"
The dragon snapped at her side, and Zoë cried out. Thalia uncovered Aegis and the dragon hissed in pain. In his moment of indecision, Zoë sprinted past us up the mountain, and the three followed.
The dragon didn't try to pursue them. He hissed and stomped the ground, but Violet figured he was well-trained to guard that tree. He wasn't going to be lured off, even by the tasty prospect of eating some heroes.
The four ran up the mountain as the Hesperides resumed their song in the shadows behind them. The music didn't sound so beautiful to Violet now—more like the soundtrack for a funeral.
🌷 MAY 3RD, 2023 / this chapter took longer than for i meant it to
and for taking so long, it's stupidly boring
whoops!
anyways,, thoughts?? opinions??