ON THIS SPRING DAY
━━━━━ chapter sixteen
━━━━━ AT THE TOP of the mountain were ruins—blocks of black granite and marble as big as houses. Broken columns. Statues of bronze that looked as though they'd been half melted.
"It's the ruins of Mount Othrys ..." Violet whispered, her voice filled with fear and slight awe.
"Yes," Zoë said. "It was not here before. This is bad."
"What's Mount Othrys?" Percy asked.
"The mountain fortress of the Titans," Zoë said. "In the first war, Olympus and Othrys were the two rivals of the world. Othrys was—" She winced and held her side.
"You're hurt," Violet said, trying to get close. "Let me see it."
"No! It is nothing," Zoë insisted, shaking her head. "I was saying ... in the first war, Othrys was blasted to pieces."
"But ... how is it here?"
Thalia looked around cautiously as they picked their way through the rubble, past blocks of marble and broken archways. "It moves in the same way that Olympus moves. It always exists on the edges of civilization. But the fact that it is here, on this mountain, is not good."
"Why?"
"This is Atlas's mountain," Zoë said. "Where he holds—" She froze. Her voice was ragged with despair. "Where he used to hold up the sky."
They had reached the summit. A few yards ahead of them, grey clouds swirled in a heavy vortex, making a funnel cloud that almost touched the mountaintop, but instead rested on the shoulders of a twelve-year-old girl with auburn hair and a tattered silvery dress: Artemis, her legs bound to the rock with celestial bronze chains. This is what Violet had seen in my dream. It hadn't been a cavern roof that Artemis was forced to hold. It was the roof of the world.
"My lady!" Zoë rushed forward, but Artemis said, "Stop! It is a trap. You must leave now."
Her voice was strained. She was drenched in sweat. Violet had never seen a goddess in pain before, but the weight of the sky was clearly too much for Artemis.
Zoë was crying. She ran forward despite Artemis's protests, and tugged at the chains.
A booming voice spoke behind them: "Ah, how touching."
They turned. The General was standing there in his brown silk suit. At his side were Luke and half a dozen dracaenae bearing the golden sarcophagus of Kronos. Annabeth stood at Luke's side. She had her hands cuffed behind her back, a gag in her mouth and Luke was holding the point of his sword to her throat.
Violet met her eyes, trying to ask her a thousand questions. There was just one message she was sending to the daughter of Eros, though: Run!
"Luke," Thalia snarled. "Let her go."
Luke's smile was weak and pale. He looked even worse than he had three days ago in D.C. "That is the General's decision, Thalia. But it's good to see you again."
Thalia spat at him.
The General chuckled. "So much for old friends. And you, Zoë. It's been a long time. How is my little traitor? I will enjoy killing you."
"Do not respond," Artemis groaned. "Do not challenge him."
"Wait a second," Percy said. "You're Atlas?"
The General glanced at the son of Poseidon. "So, even the stupidest of heroes can finally figure something out. Yes, I am Atlas, the general of the Titans and terror of the gods. Congratulations. I will kill you presently, as soon as I deal with this wretched girl."
"You're not going to hurt Zoë," Violet said, trying to stand taller. "I won't let you."
The General sneered. "You have no right to interfere, little girl. This is a family matter."
Percy frowned. "A family matter?"
"Yes," Zoë said bleakly. "Atlas is my father."
🌷
The topic of families was always a touchy subject—especially for the people related to Greek gods. Violet knew that; she understood that; she's lived that. Her own father was a Greek god. She understood having a poor relationship with a father; she understood not wanting to be compared to him in any fashion.
But still, she could see the resemblance between Zoë and her father, Atlas. The Titan had the same regal expression as Zoë, the same cold, proud look in his eyes that Zoë sometimes got when she was mad, though on him it just looked evil. He was all the things Violet had originally disliked about Zoë, with none of the good she had come to appreciate
"Let Artemis go," Zoë demanded.
Atlas walked closer to the chained goddess. "Perhaps you'd like to take the sky for her, then? Be my guest."
Zoë opened her mouth to speak, but Artemis said, "No! Do not offer, Zoë! I forbid you."
Atlas smirked. He knelt next to Artemis and tried to touch her face, but the goddess bit at him, almost taking off his fingers.
The Titan chuckled. "You see, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Kronos rules again, and this is the center of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility."
Violet looked at Annabeth. She was desperately trying to tell the daughter of Eros something. She motioned her head towards Luke, but she didn't see anything too different about the son of Hermes. But Annabeth had something change about her; her braided hair had streaks of grey woven in with the blonde.
"From holding the sky," Thalia muttered, as if she'd read Violet's mind.
Violet gasped and covered her mouth. "That weight should've killed her."
"I don't understand," Percy said. "Why can't Artemis just let go of the sky?"
Atlas laughed. "How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crush down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have taken the burden, there is no escape." Atlas smiled. "Unless someone else takes it from you."
He approached them, studying Thalia, Percy, and Violet. "So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Not much of a challenge."
"Fight us," Percy challenged. "And let's see."
"Have the gods taught you nothing? An immortal does not fight a mere mortal directly. It is beneath our dignity. I will have Luke crush you instead."
"You get Luke to do your dirty work?" Violet said. "What great Titan can't do his own dirty work?"
Atlas's eyes glowed with hatred. With difficulty, he turned his attention to Thalia.
"As for you, Daughter of Zeus, it seems Luke was wrong about you."
"I wasn't wrong," Luke managed. He looked terribly weak, and he spoke every word as if it were painful. If Violet didn't hate him so much, she would have felt bad for him. "Thalia, you still can join us. Call the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you. Look!"
He waved his hand, and next to them, a pool of water appeared: a pond ringed in black marble, big enough for the Ophiotaurus. Violet thought she was going crazy, but it was almost like she could see the Ophiotaurus inside.
"Thalia, call the Ophiotaurus," Luke persisted. "And you will be more powerful than the gods."
"Luke ..." Her voice was full of pain. "What happened to you?"
"Don't you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!"
Thalia shook her head. "Free Annabeth. Let her go."
"If you join me," Luke promised, "it can be like old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world. Please, Thalia, if you don't agree ..."
His voice faltered. "It's my last chance. He will use the other way if you don't agree. Please."
Violet didn't know what he meant, but the fear in his voice sounded real enough. She believed that Luke was in danger. His life depended on Thalia's joining his cause. And the daughter of Eros was afraid Thalia might believe it, too.
"Do not, Thalia," Zoë warned. "We must fight them."
Luke waved his hand again, and a fire appeared. A bronze brazier, just like the one at Camp. A sacrificial flame.
"Thalia," Violet said. "You can't. Don't believe him. He's just trying to manipulate you."
Behind the son of Hermes, the golden sarcophagus began to glow. As it did, Violet saw images in the mist all around them: black marble walls rising, the ruins becoming whole, a terrible and beautiful palace rising around them, made of fear and shadow.
"We will raise Mount Othrys right here," Luke promised, in a voice so strained it was hardly his own. "Once more, it will be stronger and greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia. We are not weak."
He pointed towards the ocean, and Violet's heart fell. Marching up the side of the mountain, from the beach where the Princess Andromeda was docked, was a great army. Dracaenae and Laestrygonians, monsters and half-bloods, hellhounds, harpies, and other things Violet had only ever heard about. The whole ship must've been emptied, because there were hundreds marching towards them. In a few minutes, they would be here.
"This is only a taste of what is to come," Luke said. "Soon we will be ready to storm Camp Half-Blood. And after that, Olympus itself. All we need is your help."
For a terrible moment, Thalia hesitated. She gazed at Luke, her eyes full of pain, as if the only thing she wanted in the world was to believe him. Then she leveled her spear. "You aren't Luke. I don't know you anymore."
"Yes, you do, Thalia," he pleaded. "Please. Don't make me ... Don't make him destroy you."
There was no time. If that army got to the top of the hill, they would be overwhelmed. Violet met Annabeth's eyes again. The daughter of Athena nodded.
Violet looked at Percy, Thalia, and Zoë, and she decided it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to die fighting with friends like this.
She grabbed Percy's arm, squeezing it. "You can't die on me, Fish Face."
Percy tried to smile. "Wouldn't dare, Love Bug."
"Now," he said.
Together, they charged.
🌷
Thalia went straight for Luke. The power of her shield was so great that his dragon-women bodyguards fled in a panic, dropping the golden coffin and leaving him alone. But despite his sickly appearance, Luke was still quick with his sword. He snarled like a wild animal and counter-attacked. When his sword Backbiter met Thalia's shield, a ball of lightning erupted between them, frying the air with yellow tendrils of power.
Violet jumped and weaved through the dracaenae that had been holding Kronos's golden sarcophagus. She did her best to shoot them with arrows as she made her way for Annabeth.
As for Percy, he did the stupidest thing of his life; attacking the Titan Lord Atlas.
He laughed as the black-haired boy approached. A huge javelin appeared in his hands. His silk suit melted into full Greek battle armor. "Go on, then!"
"Percy!" Zoë said. "Beware!"
Violet wished she could've warned Percy, or gotten to Annabeth faster, but the dracaenae surrounding her was relentless. She backed away from them, firing arrow after arrow. Luckily, she made quick work and the dozen or so were reduced to nothing but monster dust.
From the corner of her eye, Violet saw Percy fly through the air and slam against the black wall behind him. She gasped. It wasn't mist anymore. The palace was rising, brick by brick. It was becoming real.
"Fool!" Atlas screamed gleefully, swatting aside one of Zoë's arrows. "Did you think, simply because you could challenge that petty war god, that you could stand up to me?"
Violet landed an arrow in between a dracaenae's eyes.
The javelin's point slashed toward Percy like a scythe. He raised Riptide, but he moved sluggishly. He tried to dodge, but the javelin caught him in the chest and sent him flying like a rag doll. He slammed into the ground. Violet ran past two dracaenae struggling to pick up Kronos's sarcophagus and ran for Percy. She crouched next to him, noticing that he had landed at the feet of Artemis, who was straining under the weight of the sky.
"Run," the goddess advised them. "You must run!"
Atlas was taking his time coming towards them. Violet gripped her bow, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She could fight Atlas, but only for a moment. There was no way she could win a fight against him. And Percy seems to be weaponless—Riptide skittered over the edge of a cliff. Violet was the only one who could fight the Titan, but that wouldn't matter anyways. Even if she tried, they would all be dead.
Luke and Thalia were fighting like demons, lightning crackling around them. Atlas was stalking toward her and Percy like a predator stalking its prey. Annabeth was on the ground, desperately struggling to free her hands.
"Die, little girl," Atlas said.
Violet stood up protectively, notching an arrow and aiming it at Atlas's face. The Titan raised his javelin to impale her.
"No!" Zoë yelled, and a volley of silver arrows sprouted from the armpit chink in Atlas's armor.
He bellowed and turned towards his daughter.
Violet saw Percy pull out Riptide from his back pocket—as a pen, it had appeared on his person. Even still, the two of them couldn't fight Atlas. And then a chill went down Violet's spine. She remembered the words of the prophecy: The Titan's curse two must withstand. There was no hope of them beating Atlas in a fight, but there was someone else who might stand a chance.
"Percy," she grabbed his arm, her hands trembling, "the sky. The prophecy line. Artemis" —she crouched next to the goddess— "you have to let us bear the sky! You have to be the one to fight Atlas!"
"No, Violet," Artemis said. Her forehead was beaded with metallic sweat, like quicksilver. "You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you!"
"But Annabeth took it," said Percy. "She survived!"
"She barely survived. She had the spirit of a true huntress. You will not last so long."
"Then let me take the sky," said Violet. "You said it yourself—I have the spirit of a Hunter."
No matter what Artemis said, Violet wasn't going to take No for an answer. "Percy," she commanded. "Slash the chains."
"But—"
"Do it!" said Violet, her voice shrill.
He looked reluctant but took out Riptide and slashed through Artemis's chains. Then Violet branched herself on one knee—holding up her hands—and touched the cold, heavy clouds. For a moment, Artemis and Violet bore the weight together. It was the heaviest thing Violet ever held in her entire life. It felt like she was being crushed under the weight of a million homes. She wanted to black out from the pain, but she took a deep breath. There was no way she was failing Artemis, Annabeth, or Bianca. They were relying on her.
Then Artemis slipped out from under the burden, and Violet held it alone. She pressed her lips together to stop a cry from slipping out.
"Oh my gods—" she heard Percy gasp. She felt him hold her face for a moment, but her vision was too blurry to see anything. He was telling her things, too, but there was a piercing ringing in her ears that stopped her from hearing him. By some miracle, she heard the last few words he said, "—you're not doing this alone."
Violet wanted to protest, but there wasn't much she could do. Percy slipped under the burden with her. Even with his help, the weight of the sky was still unbearable.
Afterward, Violet tried many times to explain what it felt like. She never could.
Every muscle in her body turned to fire. Her bones felt like they were melting. She wanted to scream, but she didn't have the strength to open her mouth. Violet could feel herself beginning to sink, lower and lower to the ground, the sky's weight crushing her.
Fight back, she told herself. Don't give up. You can't give up.
Violet concentrated on breathing. If she could just keep the sky aloft a few more seconds. She thought about Bianca, who had given her life so they could get here. If she could do that, then Violet could hold the sky.
Her vision turned fuzzy. Everything was tinged with red. She caught glimpses of the battle, but she wasn't sure if she was seeing clearly. There was Atlas in full battle armor, jabbing with his javelin, laughing insanely as he fought. And Artemis, a blur of silver. She had two hunting knives, each as long as her arm, and she slashed wildly at the Titan, dodging and leaping with unbelievable grace. She seemed to change form as she maneuvered. She was a tiger, a gazelle, a bear, a falcon. Or perhaps that was just Violet's fevered brain. Zoë shot arrows at her father, aiming for the chinks in his armor. He roared in pain each time one found its mark, but they affected him like bee stings. He just got madder and kept fighting.
Thalia and Luke went spear on sword, lightning still flashing around them. Thalia pressed Luke back with the aura of her shield. Even he was not immune to it. He retreated, wincing and growling in frustration.
"Yield!" Thalia yelled at him. "You never could beat me, Luke."
The son of Hermes bared his teeth. "We'll see, my old friend."
Sweat poured down Violet's face. Her hands were slippery. Her shoulders would've screamed with agony if they could've. She felt like the vertebrae in her spine were being welded together by a blowtorch.
Atlas advanced, pressing Artemis. She was fast, but his strength was unstoppable. His javelin slammed into the earth where Artemis had been a split second before, and a fissure opened in the rocks. He leaped over it and kept pursuing her. She was leading him back towards Percy and Violet.
Get ready, she spoke in Violet's mind.
The daughter of Eros was losing the ability to think through the pain.
"You fight well for a girl." Atlas laughed. "But you are no match for me."
He feinted with the tip of his javelin and Artemis dodged. Violet saw the trick coming. Atlas's javelin swept around and knocked Artemis's legs off the ground. She fell, and Atlas brought up his javelin tip for the kill.
"No!" Zoë screamed. She leaped between her father and Artemis and shot an arrow straight into the Titan's forehead, where it lodged like a unicorn's horn. Atlas bellowed in rage. He swept aside his daughter with the back of his hand, sending her flying into the black rocks.
Violet wanted to shout her name, run to Zoë's aid, but she couldn't speak or move. She couldn't even see where Zoë had landed. Then Atlas turned on Artemis with a look of triumph on his face. Artemis seemed to be wounded. The goddess didn't get up.
"The first blood in a new war," Atlas gloated. And he stabbed downward.
As fast as thought, Artemis grabbed his javelin shaft. It hit the earth right next to her and she pulled backward, using the javelin like a lever, kicking the Titan Lord and sending him flying over her. Violet saw him coming down on top of her and Percy and she realized what would happen. She loosened her grip on the sky, and as Atlas slammed into her and Percy, she didn't try to hold on. The two let themselves be pushed out of the way and rolled away.
The weight of the sky dropped onto Atlas's back, almost smashing him flat until he managed to get to his knees, struggling to get out from under the crushing weight of the sky. But it was too late.
"No!" He bellowed so hard it shook the mountain. "Not again!"
Atlas was trapped under his old burden.
Violet gasped for air in between sobs of pain. She laid on the ground, clutching her shoulders. Her body felt like it was burning from the inside out. At some point, she felt a cold hand touch hers—Percy linked his pinky with hers. Maybe he did it to make sure she was still there—alive, even just barely.
Thalia backed Luke to the edge of a cliff, but still, they fought on, next to the golden coffin. Thalia had tears in her eyes. Luke had a bloody slash across his chest and his pale face glistened with sweat.
He lunged at Thalia and she slammed him with her shield. Luke's sword spun out of his hands and clattered to the rocks. Thalia put her spear point to his throat.
For a moment, there was silence.
"Well?" Luke asked. He tried to hide it, but Violet could hear the fear in his voice.
Thalia trembled with fury.
Behind her, Annabeth came scrambling, finally free from her bonds. Her face was bruised and streaked with dirt. "Don't kill him!"
"He's a traitor," Thalia said. "A fucking traitor!"
In her daze, Violet realized that Artemis was no longer with them. She had run off towards the black rocks where Zoë had fallen.
"We'll bring Luke back," Annabeth pleaded. "To Olympus. He ... he'll be useful."
"Is that what you want, Thalia?" Luke sneered. "To go back to Olympus in triumph? To please your dad?"
Thalia hesitated, and Luke made a desperate grab for her spear.
"No!" Annabeth screamed. But it was too late. Without thinking, Thalia kicked Luke away. He lost his balance, terror on his face, and then he fell.
"Luke!" Annabeth wailed.
They rushed to the cliff's edge. Below them, the army from the Princess Andromeda had stopped in amazement. They were staring at Luke's broken form on the rocks. Despite how much Violet hated him, she couldn't stand to see it. There was no way he was alive, it was impossible. The fall was fifty feet at least, and he wasn't moving.
One of the giants looked up and growled, "Kill them!"
Thalia was stiff with grief, tears streaming down her cheeks. Percy pulled her back as a wave of javelins sailed over their heads. They ran for the rocks, ignoring the curses and threats of Atlas as they passed.
"Artemis!" Violet yelled.
The goddess looked up, her face almost as grief-stricken as Thalia's. Zoë lay in the goddess's arms. She was breathing. Her eyes were open. But still ...
"The wound is poisoned," Artemis said.
"Atlas poisoned her?" asked the daughter of Eros.
"No," the goddess said. "Not Atlas."
She showed them the wound on Zoë's side. Violet had almost forgotten her scrape with Ladon the dragon. The bite was much worse than Zoë had let on. She could barely look at the wound. The Hunter had charged into battle against her father with a horrible cut already sapping away at her strength.
"The stars," Zoë murmured. "I cannot see them."
"Nectar and ambrosia," Percy said. "Come on! We have to get her some."
No one moved. Grief hung in the air. The army of Kronos was just below the rise. Even Artemis was too shocked to stir. They might've met our doom right there, but then Violet heard a strange buzzing noise, something loud enough to break through the ringing in her ears.
Just as the army of monsters came over the hill, a Sopwith Camel swooped down out of the sky.
"Get away from my daughter!" Dr. Chase called down, and his machine guns burst into life, peppering the ground with bullet holes and startling the whole group of monsters into scattering.
"Dad?" yelled Annabeth in disbelief.
"Run!" he called back, his voice growing fainter as the biplane swooped by.
This shook Artemis out of her grief. She stared up at the antique plane, which was now banking round for another strafe.
"A brave man," Artemis said with grudging approval. "Come. We must get Zoë away from here."
She raised her hunting horn to her lips, and its clear sound echoed down the valleys of Marin. Zoë's eyes were fluttering.
"Hang in there!" Percy told her. "It'll be alright!"
The Sopwith Camel swooped down again. A few giants threw javelins, and one flew straight between the wings of the plane, but the machine guns blazed. Violet realized with amazement that somehow Dr. Chase must've got hold of Celestial bronze to fashion his bullets. The first row of snake women wailed as the machine gun's volley blew them into sulfurous yellow powder.
"That's ... my dad!" Annabeth said in amazement.
But they didn't have time to admire his flying. The giants and snake women were already recovering from their surprise. Dr. Chase would be in trouble soon.
Just then, the moonlight brightened, and a silver chariot appeared from the sky, drawn by the most beautiful deer Violet had ever seen. It landed right next to them.
"Get in," Artemis said.
Annabeth helped Percy get Thalia on board. And Violet helped Artemis with Zoë. They wrapped Zoë in a blanket as Artemis pulled the reins and the chariot sped away from the mountain, straight into the air.
"Like Santa Claus's sleigh," Percy murmured, still dazed with pain.
Artemis took time to look back at him. "Indeed, young half-blood. And where do you think that legend came from?"
Seeing them safely away, Dr. Chase turned his biplane and followed them like an honor guard. It must have been one of the strangest sights ever, even for the Bay Area: a silver flying chariot pulled by deer, escorted by a Sopwith Camel.
Behind them, the army of Kronos roared in anger as they gathered on the summit of Mount Tamalpais, but the loudest sound was the voice of Atlas, bellowing curses against the gods as he struggled under the weight of the sky.
🌷 MAY 10TH, 2023 / i am so not excited for the next chapter
anyways,, thoughts?? opinions??