STELLA FELT COMPLETELY NUMB. The tears had dried on her cheeks, but the pain was nowhere near over. It clung to her like a relentless shadow, heavy and suffocating.
At the edge of the dump, they had found a tow truck so old it might've been thrown away itself. But the engine started, and it had a full tank of gas, so they decided to borrow it.
Thalia assumed the role of the driver. Her expression was a stark contrast to the rest of them; she wore a mask of stoic determination, refusing to let her grief show. The daughter of Zeus, a natural leader, guided them through the harsh desert terrain, her eyes fixed on the horizon.
"The skeletons are still out there," She reminded them. "We need to keep moving."
She navigated them through the desert under clear blue skies, the sand almost blinding as it stretched to the distant horizon, an endless sea of hardship and heartache.
Zoë sat up front with Thalia. Stella, Percy, and Grover occupied the pickup bed, their bodies leaning against the tow winch for support.
The air was cool and dry, a stark contrast to the hot desert floor, but the pleasant weather felt like a cruel taunt after the loss of Bianca.
Stella had been blankly staring at the road until something caught her eye. Percy's hand closed around the little figurine that had cost Bianca's life. Stella still couldn't even tell what god it was supposed to be. Nico would know.
Nico.
Her heart ached for the boy. She couldn't help but think of her own half-siblings, Lee and the others, and the sheer dread of losing them washed over her. She didn't even want to imagine what it would be like.
Stella knew Bianca was gone. She knew as soon as she saw Talos collapsing. But the shock had gripped her, preventing her from fully acknowledging the painful truth.
She would have scoured the desert in vain for Bianca if her friends hadn't convinced her to continue the quest.
Now, watching Percy's guilt-stricken face as he clung to the Mythomagic figurine only intensified her own pain. She knew he blamed himself for what had happened, just as she blamed herself. The unbearable weight of their shared guilt hung in the air, unspoken but deeply felt, a heavy shroud over their hearts.
"I promised to help you keep Bianca safe," Stella said softly. It was the first time words had come out of her mouth since her breakdown at the junkyard. "And I failed. It's all my fault."
Percy's eyes flew to her, "No, I won't let you blame yourself for this. You did everything you could."
She began to tear up again, "I didn't do enough. I couldn't decode the fucking prophecy or listen to the warnings. I could've healed her..."
He watched as crystalline tears began to roll down her face. "No, none of this is on you."
Stella finally met his eyes, and Percy felt his stomach twist when he saw the pain etched onto her face. He didn't dare mention her reaction back at the junkyard or how it worried him.
"It doesn't feel like it." She whispered, her voice a fragile echo of her turmoil.
"I know... but Bianca was my responsibility, and now... it should've been me," Percy said heavily with regret. "I should've gone into the giant."
Stella didn't know what to say. She knew it wasn't his fault, but she felt the same exact way; how was she supposed to comfort him? The thought of her having gone into the giant instead of Bianca wouldn't leave her head, a relentless specter of what-ifs and regrets.
"You can't comfort me and not apply the same logic to yourself, Perce."
He knew she had a fair (and correct) point, but ridding himself of the guilt was difficult. He shook his head, "It should've been me."
"Don't say that!" Grover panicked. "It's bad enough Annabeth is gone, and now Bianca. Do you think I could stand it if..." He sniffled. "Do you think anybody else would be my best friend?"
"Ah, Grover..."
He wiped under his eyes with an oily cloth that left his face grimy like he had on war paint. "I'm...I'm okay."
But both demigods noticed that he clearly wasn't okay. Ever since the encounter in New Mexico—whatever had happened when that wild wind blew through—he seemed really fragile, even more emotional than usual.
The three of them went quiet. Stella watched Percy pocket the figurine and shifted her attention back to the road, thoughts of Bianca flooding her brain.
The tow truck finally came to a stop at the edge of a river canyon. They had run out of gas, but that was just as well because the road was dead-ended.
Thalia got out and slammed the door. Immediately, one of the tires blew. "Great. What now?"
Stella scanned the horizon. The vast expanse of the desert stretched out endlessly in every direction, offering little more than a monotonous sea of sand. Barren mountains appeared sporadically, their rocky outlines devoid of life, serving as mere interruptions in the bleak landscape.
The canyon was the only thing interesting. The river below wasn't particularly big, maybe only fifty yards across, its waters carrying a hint of green with intermittent rapids. But it had carved an immense scar through the desert, a testament to the unrelenting forces of nature. The rock cliffs dropped away below them.
"There's a path," Grover said. "We could get to the river."
Stella squinted as she tried to discern the path Grover had identified. It took her a moment, but she eventually spotted a minuscule, winding ledge that clung to the face of the cliff.
"That's a goat path," Percy said.
"So?" Grover replied.
"The rest of us aren't goats."
"We can make it," Grover said. "I think."
Stella looked back at the ledge, and the sight triggered an instant wave of nausea. She instinctively clamped her hand over her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut.
"No," Percy asserted, casting a concerned look toward Stella and Thalia. "I, uh, think we should go farther upstream."
Grover protested, "But—"
"Come on," Percy insisted. "A walk won't hurt us."
They followed the river for about half a mile before coming to an easier slope that led down to the water. On the shore was a canoe rental operation closed for the season, but Percy left a stack of golden drachmas on the counter and a note saying IOU two canoes.
"We need to go upstream," Zoë said. It was the first time Stella had heard her speak since the junkyard, and she was worried about how bad she sounded, like somebody with the flu. "The rapids are too swift."
"Leave that to me," Percy said. They put the canoes in the water, and Thalia pulled him aside as they were getting the oars.
Stella watched the river and tuned out. She felt as if she was floating outside her body, watching herself and everyone from above. Her thoughts were like disjointed fragments, disconnected and chaotic.
It was only when she heard her name mentioned that she was brought back to earth.
"Can you also take Stella?" She overheard Thalia ask Percy, "After what happened, well, you're the best one to talk to her."
"Me? You're the one who has known her since she was little. What if I fuck up?"
"Please? I've seen how close you both have become, and I'm worried for her. She just needs someone she can trust."
Stella kept her eyes trained on the rushing river, her gaze distant, but she figured Percy had nodded in agreement because Thalia responded with gratitude, "Thank you, I owe you one."
"Two."
"One and a half," Thalia said jokingly. She then turned and helped Grover get their canoe into the water.
Stella finally tore her eyes away from the river and turned to see Percy walking over to her with a small, reassuring smile, "You're with me, sunshine."
She followed Percy and Zoë into their shared canoe, the weight of what she had overheard settling heavily in her chest. The last thing she wanted was to worry anyone. She hated feeling like a burden, and right now, she was certain she was one.
As soon as they got in the river, a couple of naiads stared at Percy.
"Hey, we're heading upstream. Do you think you could—" Percy began saying to the naiads, but before he could even finish, the naiads each chose a canoe and began pushing them up the river.
The sudden swiftness of their journey left Grover floundering in his canoe, his hooves sticking up comically in the air.
"I hate naiads," Zoë grumbled.
An unexpected stream of water squirted up from the back of the boat, hitting Zoë in the face. It was the first time Percy saw Stella crack a smile all day.
"She-devils!" Zoë went for her bow.
"Whoa," Percy said. "They're just playing."
"Cursed water spirits. They've never forgiven me."
"Forgiven you for what?"
She slung her bow back over her shoulder. "It was a long time ago. Never mind."
They sped up the river, the cliffs looming up on either side of them. Stella was staring at the sun, finding comfort in the rays that kissed her skin.
"What happened to Bianca wasn't your fault," Percy told Zoë, his eyes glancing toward Stella. "It was my fault. I let her go."
"No, Percy. I pushed her into going on the quest. I was too anxious. She was a powerful half-blood. She had a kind heart, as well. I...I thought she would be the next lieutenant."
"But you're the lieutenant."
Stella watched as Zoë gripped the strap of her quiver. The Hunter looked more tired than she had ever seen her.
"Nothing can last forever, Percy," Zoë muttered, her voice heavy with the weight of centuries. "Over two thousand years, I have led the Hunt, and my wisdom has not improved. Now Artemis herself is in danger."
"Look, you can't blame yourself for that."
"If I had insisted on going with her—"
"You think you could've fought something powerful enough to kidnap Artemis? There's nothing you could have done."
Zoë's silence spoke volumes. Her eyes fixed on the towering cliffs that lined the river, their shadows lengthening and merging with the cool, flowing water.
As the group continued their journey, the cliffs seemed to grow taller, casting long, dark shadows that shrouded the water in an eerie, chilling embrace. The once bright sunshine seemed to wane under the influence of the looming cliffs, and a shiver ran down Stella's spine as the air turned noticeably colder.
Percy's knee nudged Stella's, catching her attention. "Hey."
"Hey," She said back, her voice strained with the weight of recent events.
"Back at the junkyard, you were, um, super hot—" Percy began, and Stella's raised eyebrow was met with a look of panic in his sea-green eyes.
Stella's lips quirked into a small, amused smile at his choice of words, while Zoë, nearby, wore a disgusted expression at the unintentional innuendo.
He stumbled over his words, his face flushing with embarrassment. "No! Not like that, not that you're not, well, attractive, but you were burning up."
"I'm sorry if I hurt you," Stella said, looking down at her shoes, feeling even guiltier as she remembered the morning's events.
"It's fine—"
"No, it's not fine, Percy. I didn't even know I could do that, and I had no control over it." She admitted.
"Thee did control it," Zoe said, her tone soft and comforting.
Shaking her head, Stella continued, "No, the only reason I was able to return to a normal temperature was because Percy made sure I was taking deep breaths. That wasn't me."
The three of them sat in silence. They all knew there was some truth to her statement, even if Percy or Zoë didn't want to say it to her.
The reality was that Stella's panic attack was accompanied by some demigod shit she did not sign up for. Things she had no idea how to manage. She couldn't keep track anymore of how many things she had to learn to control.
It was clear she didn't want to talk about what happened at the junkyard. Even though he wanted to continue talking about it and make sure she was okay, Percy dropped it.
He knew if he pressed her about it, he ran the risk of her shutting him out and reverting to being closed off. That was the last thing he wanted, Stella had finally begun to open up to him.
The quest brought them closer, and Percy couldn't bear the thought of losing the trust and connection they had forged. So, he reluctantly let the topic go, understanding that there were depths to her emotions she wasn't ready to explore, at least not yet.
Percy took Riptide out of his pocket. Zoë's gaze locked onto the pen-sword, and her expression twisted with a mixture of pain and hesitation.
"You made this," Percy said.
"Who told thee?"
"I had a dream about it."
Zoë studied him and sighed. "It was a gift. And a mistake."
Percy's curiosity deepened as he probed further. "Who was the hero?"
Zoë shook her head. "Do not make me say his name. I swore never to speak it again."
"You act like I should know him."
"I am sure you do, hero. Don't all you boys want to be just like him?"
Stella couldn't help but wonder about the dream Percy had mentioned. Who was this mysterious hero, and what kind of impact had he left on Zoë to evoke such bitterness?
"Your mother was a water goddess?" He asked.
"Yes, Pleione. She had five daughters. My sisters and I. The Hesperides."
"The Garden of Hesperides! Four sisters who lived in a garden at the edge of the West." Stella said, recognizing the myth she had learned about summers ago at camp.
Percy nodded, recalling the myth, "With the golden apple tree and a dragon guarding it."
"Yes," Zoë said wistfully. "Ladon."
"But like Stella said, weren't there only four sisters?" Percy inquired.
"There are now. I was exiled. Forgotten. Blotted out as if I never existed."
"Why?" Stella frowned.
Zoë pointed to Percy's pen, her gaze filled with regret. "Because I betrayed my family and helped a hero. You won't find that in the legend, either. He never spoke of me. After his direct assault on Ladon failed, I gave him the idea of how to steal the apples, how to trick my father, but he took all the credit."
Percy and Stella exchanged glances, realizing the weight of Zoë's sacrifice and the unacknowledged role she had played in the myth.
"But—"
Percy's thought was interrupted when the naiads spoke to him again. The canoe was slowing down.
Stella looked ahead to see that this was as far as the naiads could take them. The river was blocked. A dam the size of a football stadium stood in their path.
"Hoover Dam," Thalia said. "It's huge."
They stood at the river's edge, looking up at a curve of concrete that loomed between the cliffs. People were walking along the top of the dam. They looked like tiny little specs from where they were.
The naiads had left with a lot of grumbling. Their canoes floated back downstream, swirling in the wake of the dam's discharge vents.
"Seven hundred feet tall," Percy said. "Built in the 1930s."
"Took 5 years to complete," Stella added, "and it provides power to more than 1 million people."
"Five million cubic acres of water," Thalia said.
Grover sighed. "Largest construction project in the United States."
Zoë stared at them. "How do you know all that?"
"Annabeth," Percy said. "She liked architecture."
"She was nuts about monuments," Thalia said.
"Spouted facts all the time." Grover sniffled. "So annoying."
"I wish she were here," Stella said, imagining how excited her blonde best friend would have been to see the Hoover Dam.
The others nodded. Zoë was still looking at them strangely, but Stella didn't care. It felt like a cruel twist of fate that they had come to Hoover Dam, one of Annabeth's personal favorites, and she wasn't here to see it.
"We should go up there," Percy said. "For her sake. Just to say we've been."
"You are mad," Zoë decided. "But that's where the road is." She pointed to a huge parking garage next to the top of the dam. "And so, sightseeing it is."
They had to walk for almost an hour before they found a path that led up to the road. It came up on the east side of the river. Then they straggled back toward the dam. It was cold and windy on top.
To one side, a vast lake stretched out, encircled by desolate desert mountains, the barren landscape accentuating the grandeur of the man-made structure.
On the other side, the dam dropped away like the world's most dangerous skateboard ramp, down to the river seven hundred feet below and water that churned from the dam's vents.
At that moment, Stella couldn't help but picture Percy attempting to skate down the Hoover Dam, performing daring tricks with his board against the backdrop of the cascading waters, embracing the exhilaration and fearlessness of the challenge.
Thalia walked in the middle of the road, deliberately keeping her distance from the edges. Grover kept sniffing the wind and looking nervous. He didn't say anything, but Stella knew he smelled monsters.
"How close are they?" Percy asked Grover, having thought the same thing as her.
He shook his head. "Maybe not close. The wind on the dam, the desert all around us... the scent can probably carry for miles. But it's coming from several directions. I don't like that."
None of them liked that. The looming threat of approaching monsters weighed heavily on their minds. It was already Wednesday... with only two days left until the winter solstice, their quest was far from over. They really did not need any more monsters.
"There's a snack bar in the visitor center," Thalia said.
"You've been here before?" Percy asked.
"Once. To see the guardians." She pointed to the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza adorned with two magnificent bronze statues. The statues, resembling Oscar trophies with magnificent wings, caught their attention.
"They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built," Thalia said. "A gift from Athena."
Surrounded by a crowd of curious tourists, the massive statues stood tall, their colossal forms casting imposing shadows. Stella noticed the peculiar behavior of the onlookers, who appeared to be fixated on the statues' feet.
"What are they doing?" Percy asked.
"Rubbing the toes," Thalia explained. "They think it's good luck."
"Why?" Stella scrunched her nose.
She shook her head. "Mortals get crazy ideas. They don't know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there's something special about them."
Percy stared at the statues as if he hoped they held some hidden answers. "When you were here last, did they talk to you or anything?"
Thalia's expression darkened. Stella could tell she had come here before hoping for exactly that—some kind of sign from her dad. Some connection.
"No. They don't do anything. They're just big metal statues."
"Let us find the dam snack bar," Zoë suggested. "We should eat while we can."
Grover cracked a smile. "The dam snack bar?"
Zoë blinked. "Yes. What is funny?"
"Nothing," Grover said, trying to keep a straight face. "I could use some dam french fries."
Even Thalia couldn't help but smile at that. "And I need to use the dam restroom."
Maybe it was the fact that they were so tired and strung out emotionally, but they all started cracking up. Stella couldn't stop herself from laughing, and it felt as though the weight on her shoulders momentarily lifted.
Zoë looked at them, baffled. "I do not understand."
"I want to use the dam water fountain," Grover said.
"And..." Thalia tried to catch her breath. "I want to buy a dam T-shirt."
They were borderline delusional at this point.
All of a sudden, Percy and Grover stopped laughing. She watched as the smile melted off Percy's face.
Grover was looking around, confused. "Did I just hear a cow?"
"A dam cow?" Thalia laughed.
"No," He said. "I'm serious."
"What do you mean a cow?" Stella asked, puzzled.
Zoë listened. "I hear nothing."
Thalia looked at Percy. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Percy nodded but didn't quite meet their eyes. "You guys go ahead. I'll be right in."
Stella turned to him, searching his face for an answer. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," He said. "I... I just need a minute. To think."
Percy's gaze remained distant, his thoughts seemingly preoccupied. There was something in his demeanor that made her hesitate, her concern deepening.
The rest of the group reluctantly continued walking towards the visitor center, leaving Percy behind.
"Are you sure, Perce?" Stella asked once more, her voice filled with genuine concern, reluctant to leave him alone.
Percy offered a forced smile, his eyes briefly meeting hers. "Yeah, I'll see you in a few, sunshine."
☀︎
Stella was seriously having a hard time not worrying for Percy. The minutes had stretched into an agonizing stretch of time since they left him behind, and with each passing moment, her anxiety deepened, gnawing at the edges of her thoughts.
The group had ordered some dam lunch and sat down to eat their food, but Stella's racing thoughts overshadowed everything else, making it hard for her to find even a hint of appetite.
Her nervousness manifested in her absentmindedly picking at her food with her fork, her gaze drifting towards the window as her mind kept returning to Percy.
She was lost in her thoughts when she heard Percy's voice, the urgency in his words snapping her out of her reverie.
"We need to leave," He gasped as he ran to their table. "Now!"
"But we just got our burritos!" Thalia protested, her mouth still half-full.
Zoë stood up, muttering an Ancient Greek curse. "He's right! Look."
The café windows wrapped all the way around the observation floor, giving them a beautiful panoramic view of the skeletal army that had come to kill them.
Stella counted two on the east side of the dam road, blocking the way to Arizona. Three more on the west side, guarding Nevada. All of them were armed with batons and pistols.
But their immediate problem was a lot closer. The three skeletal warriors who had been relentlessly chasing Percy now appeared on the stairs. They saw them from across the cafeteria and clattered their teeth.
"Elevator!" Grover said urgently.
They bolted in that direction, but the doors slid open with a pleasant ding, revealing three more skeleton warriors.
Every warrior was accounted for, minus the one Bianca had blasted to flames in New Mexico. They were completely surrounded.
Then Grover had a brilliant, totally Grover-like idea.
"Burrito fight!" He yelled and flung his Guacamole Grande at the nearest skeleton.
Stella couldn't help but feel relieved that she had never been hit by a flying burrito. In terms of deadly projectiles, it was right up there with grenades and cannonballs. Grover's lunch struck the skeleton, sending its skull cleanly off its shoulders.
She wasn't sure what the other kids in the café saw, but they went crazy and started throwing their burritos and baskets of chips and sodas at each other, shrieking and screaming.
The skeletons tried to aim their guns, but it was hopeless. Bodies, food, and drinks were flying in all directions.
In the chaos, Thalia and Percy tackled the other two skeletons on the stairs and sent them flying into the condiment table. Then they all raced downstairs, Guacamole Grandes whizzing past their heads.
"What now?" Grover asked as they burst outside.
Nobody had an answer. The warriors on the road were closing in from both directions. They ran across the street to the pavilion with the winged bronze statues, but that just put their backs to the mountain.
The skeletons moved forward, forming a crescent around them. Their brethren from the café were running up to join them. One was still putting its skull back on its shoulders. Another was covered in ketchup and mustard. Two more had burritos lodged in their rib cages. They didn't look happy about it. They drew batons and advanced.
"Five against eleven," Zoë muttered. "And they cannot die."
"It's been nice adventuring with you guys," Grover said, his voice trembling.
Stella felt herself start to warm up, and her vision started to blur. She stood frozen, watching as more and more skeletons grew near. Thankfully, Percy's voice drew her out of her trance.
"Whoa, their toes really are bright."
"What!?" Stella exclaimed at his absurd comment. They were about to get pulverized, and he was thinking about toes?
"Percy!" Thalia said exasperatedly. "This isn't the time."
Stella turned towards him and noticed how Percy couldn't stop staring at the two giant bronze guys with tall-bladed wings like letter openers. They were weathered brown except for their toes, which gleamed like freshly minted pennies from the countless times they'd been rubbed for luck.
Good luck. The blessing of Zeus.
"Thalia," Percy said. "Pray to your dad."
She glared at him. "He never answers."
"Just this once," He pleaded. "Ask for help. I think... I think the statues can give us some luck."
Six skeletons raised their guns. The other five came forward with batons. Fifty feet away. Forty feet.
"Do it!" He yelled.
"No!" Thalia said. "He won't answer me."
"This time is different!"
"Who says?"
Percy hesitated, searching for words. "Athena, I think."
Thalia scowled, her expression reflecting her certainty that Percy had gone crazy.
"Just try it, Thals," Stella pleaded, understanding Percy's train of thought and their desperate need for a godly intervention.
Thalia closed her eyes. Her lips moved in silent prayer. Stella put in her own prayer to Annabeth's mom, hoping Percy was right that the goddess of wisdom had come to their rescue.
And nothing happened.
The skeletons closed in. Stella stood side-by-side with Percy, raising Iliaktída while he raised Riptide. Thalia held up her shield. Zoë pushed Grover behind her and aimed an arrow at a skeleton's head.
A shadow fell over her. She thought maybe it was the shadow of death. Then she realized it was the shadow of an enormous wing. The skeletons looked up too late. A flash of bronze and all five of the baton-wielders were swept aside.
The other skeletons opened fire. Percy raised his lion coat in front of Stella and himself for protection, but they didn't need it.
The bronze angels stepped in front of them and folded their wings like shields. Bullets pinged off of them like rain off a corrugated roof. Both angels slashed outward, and the skeletons went flying across the road.
"Man, it feels good to stand up!" The first angel said. His voice sounded tinny and rusty like he hadn't had a drink since he'd been built.
"Will ya look at my toes?" The other said. "Holy Zeus, what were those tourists thinking?"
As stunned as Stella was by the angels, she was more concerned with the skeletons. A few of them were getting up again, reassembling, bony hands groping for their weapons.
"Trouble!" Percy said.
"Get us out of here!" Thalia yelled.
Both angels looked down at her. "Zeus's kid?"
"Yes!"
"Could I get a please, Miss Zeus's Kid?" An angel asked.
"Please!"
The angels looked at each other and shrugged.
"Could use a stretch," One decided.
And the next thing she knew, one of them grabbed her along with Thalia and Percy while the other grabbed Zoë and Grover. They flew straight up, over the dam and the river, the skeleton warriors shrinking to tiny specks below them and the sound of gunfire echoing off the sides of the mountains.