chapter eight!
008. looking-glass
cain
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CAIN HAD mastered the art of staying awake.
Everyone was scared of something▬he knew this very well. Fears whispered to him like voices in the wind whenever someone walked past. Bees, heights, spiders and small spaces▬he knew each and every one of them before someone even opened their mouth to speak to him. Secrets were opened for him to delve into even if he didn't want to. It made Cain feel as though he was looking through the window into someone else's home▬unwanted, trespassing and wrong. These things that people told no one, he found out even if he wasn't looking at them. His mind was never free of them▬spiders, drowning, fire, death ... They swarmed his mind constantly like a hive of angry bees, and Cain couldn't be rid of them, even when he slept.
One thing everyone misunderstood about the curse that his powers were, was that Cain didn't just hear people's fears▬those fears stayed with him even after a person was gone. He had to live with them, every single day and every single night.
(Even he was afraid of something).
That was how he managed to project fear onto others, because his mind▬no, everything about him▬boxed every single fear until it was boiling underneath the surface, and when he finally released it, someone else had to see them all. They had to hear the whispers, the screams and the laughs▬feel the crawling of eight legs and the red eyes of the monster under the bed, and it turned them mad.
Cain was great at staying awake, now, even when he knew he should be dropping from exhaustion. He was great at being on his own▬he preferred it. He was great at dissociating from conversations so he could block out every fear from every person he was with. He was great at not allowing people to notice.
He was still picking tar out of his hair, frowning at it as he watched the clumps fly away in the wind as the Argo II drifted towards Kansas. Cain tugged at the sleeves of his jumper. It was summer weather, but he was also good at not letting the heat bother him. Even when he pulled the sleeves as far as they could go, the midnight moon still glinted copper onto the fingers of his Celestial bronze arm. He stared at them for a moment, clenching and unclenching the hand▬and not feeling any of it. It was a strange sensation. The magic of the arm worked like a normal arm▬it reacted to his brain and did what he wanted, and yet he couldn't feel what it touched. Not really. Whenever he did feel anything, it was pain. Some days, it was a dull ache, other days, it kept him up at night▬moments when his head still thought he had his arm, and it relived the horrible pain that even Cain didn't remember.
For once, he was alone for the first time since they set off on this adventure, and Cain relished every minute of it. He took a deep breath of the night air and hung his head, his forehead touching the wood of the edge of the boat. He knew this was going to be hard for him. He was on a boat with nine other demigods and an angry goat, and each and every one of them had so much going on in their minds▬so many things they were fearful of right now that Cain felt he was in a room with double the number of people. He could feel the tension, the wariness they all had of each other, the way that Percy and Jason were walking on thin ice and how Frank was apprehensive of Leo. He could already tell that the team they were supposed to be was far from even the start of becoming one.
He was grateful to finally be away from them all. But even away, they still haunted him. It put him in a bad mood▬and he was second-guessing every hopeful promise that this quest would succeed. Nearly every one of them was hiding something, and that never forbade well.
Cain knew she was there before he heard her speak. There were no whispers, but the feeling of a spider crawling up the back of his neck made him almost flinch before he stood up and glanced over. Annabeth arched a brow at him, blonde curls framing her face and startling grey eyes that matched the moon reappearing from the clouds. She was calculating, even when she tried not to be. There was always something Annabeth Chase was trying to solve; there was always a puzzle in front of her with missing pieces, and she was only satisfied once those missing pieces joined together. She didn't have anything telling her what to think, or what to believe▬she was the provider of her own judgement. She had no powers but the brilliance of her mind and Cain respected that.
She didn't say a word as she walked up to the edge of the ship until she leaned against it beside him. Cain watched her but removed his gaze as soon as her grey ones locked onto his. He frowned back down at his fingers. He tugged the sleeves of his jumper further down.
At last, Annabeth muttered: "Have you tried to sleep?"
Cain just set his jaw and gave her a side glance. Annabeth pursed her lips and didn't say anything to it. He didn't need to say anything▬she recognised that look, the stare of: what do you think?
He's known Annabeth for a while now, but still, his apprehensive squeeze in his chest did not leave no matter what they'd been through. With her, he didn't hear whispers. Instead, Cain felt the scuttle of spiders on his skin, he felt the desperation to never make a mistake claw at his throat and chest and he felt the burn of something in his pocket▬the weight of it bearing him down and making him on edge. He didn't feel fear, but he felt Annabeth's; deep and agonising, and he still wasn't sure whether it made them closer, or urged Cain to push her away.
He swung his weight back and forth on his heels, trying to keep the rest of him busy as he stood there. "This isn't a team," Cain told Annabeth in a murmur. "It's like sitting in an arena."
"I know," she admitted with an exhausted breath. Annabeth rubbed her eyes and then pinched the bridge of her nose. Even when looking frustrated and exhausted, Cain thought the moon and the stars that made her hair silver considered her just as beautiful as he did.
"We both know it's a ticking time bomb," continued Cain, knowing Annabeth would appreciate the honesty more than a terrible, weak attempt at false hope.
She sighed and faced him, listening. "What do you know?"
He rubbed his brow and clenched his metal hand again. Clench, unclench, clench... "I could ask you the same question," he locked her gaze once more. Annabeth pursed her lips. "You gonna tell me about that coin in your pocket? Or am I gonna have to distrust you, as well?"
Annabeth frowned at him. He could tell in her eyes that she was startled he knew about it, but it was replaced with a stiff anger at the way he spoke. Annabeth took a sharp breath through her nose. "You're in a down mood, I can see that. But don't take it out on me, Cain."
"And you're deflecting," said Cain. He faced her as well. "What is it with this Mark of Athena? I can tell it's bothering you, Annabeth▬you can't hide that from me, you know that."
She set her jaw. They watched each other for a long and tense moment. Annabeth then muttered: "I've got it handled. That's all you need to worry about."
"You don't, I can feel it," Cain grumbled. She rolled her eyes and scowled out at the scenery. "You asked me what I knew▬I know this is something important. It's bothering you," his tone softened. "And if it bothers you, it bothers me. You can't lead a team if they're in the dark. It's only going to make everyone else more stressed than they already are. You know I'm right."
Annabeth frowned to herself. Cain's heart twisted and folded, and he knew her fear of showing vulnerability was making it hard for her to breathe. "I have a plan," said Annabeth at last. She met Cain's eyes and allowed him to see a soft fracture in her grey stare. "Just trust me."
He realised that she wasn't asking him to trust her, she needed him to. Cain pursed his lips. "I trust you," he told her softly, "with my life." And he did. Annabeth saved his life▬he did trust her more than anyone else, even himself.
Annabeth nodded. She took a deep breath before offering him a small smile. Cain felt an ache lift up to his chest to his throat, turning him sheepish and shy when he managed to smile back▬and he wasn't sure whether that was him that felt his heart flutter, whether it was Annabeth beside him, or whether it was both.
"I trust you," he said again, and his thoughts seemed to disappear away from his head, and his mind▬for once▬did not feel crowded. Cain hesitated before admitting: "But you know you can't keep whatever this is from everyone forever."
"I know," sighed Annabeth. She looked more tired than Cain was, and it made him worried. "But, just▬trust me enough to understand that right now, I have to."
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IN THE END, Cain was forced to go back into his cabin once Coach Hedge caught him out after curfew, or face the threatening force of his baseball bat which▬he promised▬would smack his sorry ass all the way back to Long Island. Cain didn't want to test his five-foot-nothing anger and decided to listen. His cabin looked as though it hadn't been slept in much. The mattress and pegasus down pillows (no pegasi were harmed in making these pillows, Cain will promise you) were still and not wrinkled. Cain's pile of books, which were translated into Ancient Greek so he could read with his dyslexia, were still sitting untouched on his desk. He found that reading distracted him from his thoughts enough because they filled his mind with other things, like whether Katniss would win the Hunger Games. Surprisingly, he related to all of those teenagers thrown into dystopian scenarios where they either have to survive or die ... Cain wonders where that relation came from ... (that was sarcasm▬yes, he can be sarcastic).
Cain was awake and wanting to punch Gale Hawthorne with his metal arm when the breakfast bell rang. He had felt the Argo II descend and land with a wheeze and a groaning thud which made Cain feel as though they were flying with just splinters keeping them together. As he got ready for the new day, pulling a Camp Half-Blood jumper over his shirt, he heard Coach Hedge yell: "Thar she blows! Kansas, ahoy!"
He made an incredulous face to himself, rubbed his eyes, ruffled his hair in hopes of looking somewhat refreshed and not exhausted, and then stepped out of his cabin with his sword hanging on his back. Considering Cain's height, a lot of people frowned at the sight of him having a broadsword. It wasn't a sword most demigods fought with, anyway. It was modern in comparison to the Ancient Greek leaf-shaped double-edged weapon that, for example, Percy fought with. But Bekendorf had made Cain this sword to suit his weight perfectly, and even though he had to have it modified after he lost his arm, the hilt and design were still the same. He never got rid of it▬he learnt how to fight with it well even though some demigods tried to suggest he should fight with something else. It kept Charles Bekendorf▬one of the first people Cain had met who wasn't scared away by him and became his friend▬close after he died in a battle that wasn't even worth it in the end. Cain still sometimes sat up, late at night, blaming himself for not seeing the boat as a diversion▬wondering if there was a way he could have persuaded Bekendorf not to sacrifice himself.
Cain ruffled his hair again. It fell back over his eyes. He needed to cut it, but he never got the chance before they left. And now he was stuck with messy hair that curled at the tips that he always had to brush out of his face.
He slipped his hands into his pockets as he stepped out into the morning sunlight. He realised he was pretty late to get up as he noticed most of the team already standing around on the deck. The Argo II had settled in a field of tall grass and sunflowers▬and it seemed as though they were surrounded by an ocean of yellow. Cain's nose twitched at the smell and he sighed▬it wasn't the most demigodly thing to get allergies from the pollen and fertilised earth, but they all had their little things, right?
Cain noticed Leo tugging one last thing into place as the Argo II let out its last exhale amongst the field. He looked more of a mess than Cain, his curly hair all over the place and his shirt wrinkled over dirty jeans. For a scrawny kid, Leo still had enough strength to secure the lever he had built with only a small amount of effort. He held it there as Savreen, the daughter of Harmonia helped secure something into place with a bagel held between her teeth. Her long hair was pulled off her face in a single braid today, and as she stood up, Cain noticed the jewelled chain of Harmonia's necklace underneath her tee shirt and summer overalls. Once she was done, she took out her bagel and offered half of it to Leo without a second thought.
She wandered over to Jason afterwards. The son of Jupiter glanced down at her with a soft smile, matching the morning summer sky in a light blue shirt, grey sweatpants and sneakers. He lifted his arm to bring his close friend in for a side hug and Savreen smiled, too. Piper was standing on Jason's other side, immediately slipping into conversation with the daughter of Harmonia. Piper McLean's hair fell out around her face even when she pulled it off in a ponytail. She pulled off her Camp Half-Blood shirt, shorts and white tennis shoes as if she had suddenly stepped onto the runway without even trying.
As Cain stepped closer, Percy glanced over. The son of Poseidon was in a good mood, and he sent a finger salute Cain's way as his greeting. The two of them didn't start on good terms. Like most people, Percy had been rigid and on edge because of Cain's powers, but after a quest and saving both Camp Half-Blood and the world, the two of them moved past their rough beginnings. Percy was in a fresh orange camp shirt and faded blue jeans, looking as though he had never been taken away by Hera to begin with. But what helped his good mood the most was Claire, who▬minding her own business glancing out at the sunflower field▬didn't see Percy's fingers until they jabbed her sides and startled her.
"Hey!" she punched his shoulder and while most people would find Claire quite terrifying, Percy just laughed. She immediately softened when she heard it, glancing up at him with a little smile Cain hadn't seen in a long time. His own mood brightened to see it▬he couldn't help it. He had supported Claire through the whole time Percy was missing and saw her hit a different low than she had previously▬she deserved to smile and to be happy again after all she's gone through. Percy threw an arm over her shoulders and tugged her close, nodding towards Cain. Claire glanced over. "Cain, hey!"
Cain managed a stiff little smile and stopped to stand nearby. Now that he had finally shown up, Annabeth took a step towards the problem at hand. She plucked one of the bagels Piper had out of her hand and took a bite. Cain quickly learnt that nearly everyone here was fine with sharing food▬or rather, a running joke where they stole each other's breakfasts. "So, here we are. What's the plan?"
"I want to check out the highway," said Piper, snatching her bagel back when she had the chance. "Find the sign that says Topeka 32."
Leo spun his Wii controller in his hands▬flipping it in a circle and the sails lowered themselves. "We shouldn't be far," he said. "Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"
As Piper explained her visions in the knife, Cain tried his very hardest not to zone out of the conversation. It was hard to concentrate anyway but with voices whispering in his head it only made it worse. Being on the deck with the group of them right now, it felt like he was in an echo chamber. When Percy subconsciously held Claire a little closer to his side, all Cain could hear were taunting fears of loss and separation. As soon as Claire felt a slight gust of wind, Cain had to block out the screams of her nightmares of when she died and came back. Jason eyed Percy out of the corner of his eye, and even Cain felt the horrible laughter of insecurity▬of not being good enough, and the fear of failure to the team. Piper was afraid of something, too▬something from her knife and she was keeping it to herself, something to do with Percy and Jason. Both Hazel and Frank were incredibly wary of Leo▬but not just because of his powers. Savreen was clutching her necklace extra tight and those spiders▬
"Cain?"
He jolted back to reality around him at the sound of his name. Cain glanced up, and his focus seemed to materialise around him just like everyone's words▬the expectant looks on their faces and their curious frowns. He realised it was Percy who said his name and he turned to him. "Yeah?"
Percy tilted his head, as if he knew what happened, but knew better than to mention it with everyone else around. "Did you get any of that?"
Cain quickly nodded. "Yeah," he struggled to remember bits and pieces of what Piper said. "Uh▬Mr. D, huh? We came all the way to Kansas to see Mr. D?"
"Bacchus," corrected Jason, also a little curious▬and maybe a bit suspicious of Cain's reaction. The only way Cain could tell was because he could hear the whispers over his shoulder again, but if he didn't have them, he wouldn't be able to tell. Jason's expression was solid and nonchalant▬he was a disciplined soldier more than he was a teenager, or even just a demigod. Jason knew how to keep secrets, and he knew how to read people without letting them know. Cain didn't know whether to be wary of the son of Jupiter himself because of this or feel a breath of sympathy for him. "His Roman counterpart. Like I said to Percy, he's not so bad. It's his followers you need to worry about. Thankfully, I don't think we'll see any of them here. But the god himself is okay▬I did him a favour once up in the wine country."
Percy muttered something under his breath that sounded like: "Of course, you did." He then spoke up. "Whatever, man. Maybe he's better on the Roman side. But why would he be hanging around in Kansas? Didn't Zeus order the gods to cease all contact with mortals?"
Claire made a slight face to herself. "When has Mr. D ever followed orders?"
Annabeth also made a face at this, agreeing. "He hasn't been the most rule-following god in the stories, true."
Frank grunted at their words. He fiddled with the zipper of his blue tracksuit jacket. He wore a matching pair of blue tracksuit pants and sneakers. "None of the gods have been very good at following that order. Besides, if the gods have gone ... well ... if the gods are having trouble maintaining as one version of themselves like Hazel said▬"
"And Leo and Sav said," added Leo.
"Right, as Savreen said, too."
"Leo, too. Don't forget Leo."
Frank scowled at him. Cain subtly pinched the bridge of his nose, meeting Annabeth's gaze across the deck▬they shared a silent annoyed exchange. "Then who knows what's going on with the Olympians?" continued the son of Mars. "Could be some pretty bad stuff out there."
Leo shrugged with a very overly cheerful smile that turned his response sarcastic: "Perfect! Sounds dangerous. Well..." he waved them off, "you guys have fun! I've got to finish repairs on the hull. Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. And, uh, Annabeth▬I could really use your help. You're the only other person who even sort of understands engineering."
Frank pulled his bow off his shoulder and set it against the rail. "I think I should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for Roman eagles."
"Why a crow?" blurted out Leo. He couldn't help it▬he had little filter, or really, no filter at all between what he was thinking, and his mouth. "Man, if you can turn into a dragon, why don't you just turn into a dragon every time? That's the coolest."
Frank turned to him, annoyed by Leo's comment. He shook his head and let out a frustrated puff of air. "That's like asking why you don't bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift," he muttered, incredulous. "Because it's hard and you'd hurt yourself. Turning into a dragon isn't easy."
"Oh." Leo shrugged, not bothered. "I wouldn't know. I don't lift weights."
"Yeah? Well, maybe you should consider it, Mr.▬"
Hazel quickly stepped between them. Frank scowled at Leo over the top of Hazel's thick dark curls. "I'll help you, Frank," she said, giving the son of Hephaestus a warning glance. "I can summon Arion and scout around below."
"Sure," muttered Frank, still glaring at Leo. "Yeah, thanks."
Piper and Jason both turned to Savreen subtly, as if asking her for an answer as to what was going on between Frank and Leo. Sav pursed her lips and shrugged, choosing not to say anything. Cain knew there was a history between Hazel and Leo▬and it made Frank tense, even though Leo and Hazel had only met each other yesterday. Cain didn't exactly know what, but he felt the unease Hazel was feeling as if whenever she looked at Leo, she saw a ghost instead.
Hazel pursed her lips but turned away from Frank and Leo. Her gaze focused on Percy. "Just be careful when you go out there. Lots of fields, lots of crops. Could be karpoi on the loose."
"Karpoi?" Piper frowned.
"Grain spirits. You don't want to meet them."
"Right, well," Percy scratched the back of his ear, "that still leaves six of us. That's too many to go out there▬we'd attract too many monsters."
"You should go," Claire told him. Before her boyfriend could argue, she arched a brow and continued. "Yeah, I know, you don't like Mr. D, but you're the only one here strong enough to take on an angry god. Jason, too. Besides," she gestured to him, "if you're on better terms▬"
"Yeah," Jason nodded. "If we find him, I'll talk to him. Piper, it's your vision. You should take the lead."
"I'll stay with Leo," spoke up Savreen, her hands in the pockets of her summer overalls. "Help him out. So, that's five of you."
"Great," Percy decided before anyone else could get another word in. Cain noticed him squeeze Claire closer again and something unsettling twisted in his stomach. Five demigods together were too much, Percy knew that▬but his determination to not be separated from Claire again made him not care about that. That could become a problem. Cain took a deep breath and tried to not think about it▬but this whole team was on thin threads. (If they could even be called a team). "Me, Claire, Cain, Jason and Piper▬the dream team."
Piper didn't look too happy either, but the shaky breath she tried to hide held the fear of something else entirely▬and whatever it was, Cain could tell it was sinister, and it had something to do with them as a group. "Fantastic Five," she managed to joke, but it was stiff. "All right. Let's find the highway."
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"SOMETHING bad is going to happen."
"You're so optimistic, Cain."
Cain glanced at Claire beside him as they walked through the hot fields in Kansas. Leo's idea of 'close by' was not at all correct. They have been trudging through tall grass, getting bitten by mosquitoes and whacked in the face by angry, scratchy sunflowers. Percy made a joke about the sunflowers being taller than Claire and then Percy also got a bruise to his shin.
Cain continued to frown at the daughter of Apollo through the ends of his hair. "Come on, even you know that five powerful demigods in one place is a death wish. And we're also walking on the ground▬you know whose territory that is."
He knew she understood. When Claire glanced down at her feet, ducking around another sunflower, Cain heard her mind work▬like cogs shifting and turning together, warning her also of the reckless decision Percy made. In the end, she sighed and looked up at the sun thoughtfully. "I guess it's gonna be something we'll have to get used to. I mean, there's ten of us▬we're all pretty powerful. We're all walking beacons for monsters, but we're also the most capable of going against them. We'll have to be."
Cain clenched and unclenched his metal hand▬as if that might relieve the sudden stiffness he had for an arm that wasn't even there. "I just have a bad feeling. I mean, something terrible always happens when there are more than four of us on the same quest together."
Claire pursed her lips. Her gaze fell from the sun and onto the others walking a little bit ahead of them. Piper glanced back, her eyes glinting different colours every time the sunlight shifted▬curious of what they were talking about. After a moment of silence, the Light's Kin sighed and lifted a hand up to fiddle with her camp necklace. Her fingers felt the small seashell. "I know," she admitted in a low tone to Cain. "Annabeth and I have been talking about it."
It wasn't just both of them being pessimistic▬it was a genuine worry. They all knew too well what happens when there were more than the suggested amount of demigods on a quest. Back on the Andromeda, Claire had faced the consequences and died. On the quest to save Artemis and Annabeth, both Bianca and Zoë had met their untimely ends. In the Labyrinth, Cain and Claire had to separate from their friends, and later on, so did Cain, Tyson and Grover. Percy may as well have died when he had been sent to Ogygia. Every time there were more than three or four of them in the same area, bad things always happened. And now, there were ten of them on this quest...
Claire followed Cain's trace of thought and met his gaze▬he already knew what she feared before she even said it. "Do you ..." her voice was a whisper, not wanting anyone else to hear. "Do you think one of us is going to ... to die?"
"I don't know," he said▬lying to try and make Claire feel better, but it was useless now. "Maybe we'll get separated, or one of us will have to stay back somewhere, or go off alone▬"
"Or maybe one of us will die," she finished, her tone a little shaky. Claire frowned at the sunflowers, off in thought. She considered Cain's words with fear surrounding a name he heard whispered in his ears. Annabeth.
"What about Annabeth?" he said immediately. He regretted it soon▬the moment Claire spun back to him, startled. Cain pursed his lips. "Sorry. I just ..." he shook his head. "What about Annabeth? What do you know▬has she told you something?"
He knew it had something to do with the coin in Annabeth's pocket▬something to do with the prophecy and the Mark of Athena. Cain knew it was about what Annabeth was so determined to keep a secret of, but this secret terrified her▬and he felt it so intensely it made him want to rip the feeling away from his chest. He felt Annabeth's fear, and it made him terrified, too. It made him want to protect her from it. He could slam his foot down on some pesky spider any day, but whatever this was ...
Claire hesitated. She knew. "It's ... it's not my place to say."
Before Cain could try and demand answers from her, they finally reached the road. He glanced back and forth at the length of sealed tar that stretched off into the distance in either direction. A sign above▬an old billboard for Bubba's Gas 'n' Grub said they were forty miles from the first Topeka exit.
Percy frowned at it. "Correct my maths," he muttered, "but doesn't that mean we have eight miles to walk?"
"Close," muttered Piper bitterly. "Yeah, this is totally close, Leo."
Jason took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, glancing up and down the deserted road. He had healed so well since his head had been struck by the brick that it was almost as if he had never been injured at all. The scar on his forehead had almost healed entirely▬and he held himself with confidence again, like he was relieved to be out here and doing something. His gladius hung at his belt; a long scabbard strapped to his jeans, and he looked right at home with it. "No cars..." he murmured. "But I guess we wouldn't want to hitchhike."
"No," agreed Piper. She swivelled the soles of her shoes into the dirt at the edge of the road. "We've already spent too much time going overland. The earth is Gaea's territory."
Claire shrugged and went to offer something, but Jason got there before she could. She huffed when he snapped his fingers, almost smug as he looked at Percy. "I can call a friend for a ride."
Percy immediately stood taller, too. Claire puffed out her cheeks to herself, frustrated when he raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? Me, too. Let's see whose friend gets here first."
Claire rolled her eyes and turned to Cain in silent judgement as both Percy and Jason concentrated. While Jason whistled, the son of Poseidon simply closed his eyes and concentrated. Piper had a look on her face as if saying, are they seriously making this a competition?
Cain was admittedly curious about who▬or what▬Jason was calling. When thunder cracked in the sky above and the air around them seemed to split, he grinned. "Close."
"Too late," Percy pointed east, a smug glint in his eyes. Following his gesture, they all noticed something black and winged spiralling towards them. The silhouette galloped with extraordinary grace, and Claire couldn't help but smile to see it.
Piper looked a bit amazed. "A black pegasus?" she said. "Never seen one like that?"
Blackjack landed nearby Percy and the black stallion threw his head for a moment, ruffling his wings and swinging his tail. He huffed and puffed, throwing his head again at Percy▬almost like he was offended he hadn't seen him in months. Percy tilted his head. "Yeah, I missed you too," he ran his hand up his pegasus's snout. "Blackjack, this is Piper and Jason," he gestured to them. "They're friends."
The pegasus puffed a large amount of hair out of his nose.
"Uh ... Maybe later," answered Percy.
Piper was a little incredulous. "Wait ... what does Blackjack want?"
"Doughnuts," muttered Percy, shaking his head. "Always doughnuts. Look, he can carry three of us, but▬"
Cain winced when his ears popped▬not expecting it. He glanced up at the sky, bewildered by the sight of storm clouds brewing above. The wind picked up and it shifted and twisted▬it raged like a miniature cyclone until Cain saw it. About fifty yards away, the air materialised into something wild and unpredictable▬it tore across the sunflowers at a speed that made him dizzy even looking at it. Once it touched the road beside Jason, the light shimmered enough to show the form of a mighty horse made of fog and lightning.
"Tempest," Jason smirked. When his hand neared the stallion's neck, lightning sparks jetted between the fog and Jason's fingertips. "Long time, my friend."
"I want an awesome horse," muttered Cain, almost sounding like an unhappy child at Christmas. He wasn't the best with pegasi or any animals because of his powers, but a guy can dream, can't he?
Jason's storm spirit reared up, throwing its legs out in discontent at the sight of Blackjack. The pegasus backed up, skittish. Percy was at his side quickly. "Easy, boy. He's a friend, too." He arched a brow at Jason, reluctantly impressed. "Nice ride, Grace."
He shrugged. "I made friends with him during our fight at the Wolf house. He's a free spirit▬literally▬but once in a while he agrees to help me."
As Percy climbed up onto Blackjack, swinging a leg over the side, Cain grew a bit unsure. "Hey, man, you sure he can carry all three of us?" Blackjack huffed in his face. "No offence," he added to the pegasus. He wasn't about to say he was a bit worried about how Blackjack was going to react around him. Already, he could tell Percy's pegasus was a bit skittish.
"Yeah, he's fine," Percy held out his hand. "Come on."
Cain was sceptical, but he climbed up onto Blackjack behind Percy. Almost immediately, the pegasus threw his head but Percy easily calmed him down with a few words. Claire took Cain's hand and he helped pull her up as well. As soon as Piper was on the back of Tempest behind Jason, the two of them took off.
He wasn't proud of how he almost fell off as soon as Blackjack took off into the sky. He held on, watching the fields below get further away as Percy flew them after Tempest who tore down the road in a twisting, raging tornado. Thankfully, it didn't take them long at all to reach the mile marker Piper had mentioned. As soon as he could, Cain was leaping back down onto the ground, and despite all of their problems with the earth at the moment, he was relieved to have his feet touching the dirt. Maybe Cain doesn't want a cool horse anymore.
Claire was amused, biting back a smirk as she slipped off Blackjack and landed next to him. "You okay?" she teased.
"Shut up," muttered Cain.
Both horses pawed the ground▬equally as restless as the other. Neither of them seemed happy about stopping. Blackjack whinnied. Percy frowned. "You're right," he said to the pegasus as he did. "No sign of the wine dude."
"I beg your pardon?"
Cain and Claire both spun around, startled. Tempest turned so quickly, that Piper almost fell off. Through the wheat and sunflowers, a figure stepped through▬and like that, they parted like a river stream, letting the man make his way towards them with no trouble. Cain recognised him immediately as their Camp director▬it was Mr. D with the same jet-black curls, purple eyes and flushed cheeks. But at the same time, he wasn't. Instead of wearing a leopard-printed shirt paired with bad-looking shorts and sandals, Bacchus wore a wide-brimmed straw hat wreathed with grapevines. His fashion sense wasn't any better, of course▬that stayed the same. The Roman god of wine supported a purple short-sleeved shirt, khaki shorts and Birkenstocks with white socks that stopped halfway up his calves. He couldn't look any older than thirty, but his outfit made him seem like an over-the-top, ignorant, middle-aged tourist who somehow got lost on his way to the Bahamas.
"Did someone just call me the wine dude?" a lazy drawl slipped from the man's lips. "It's Bacchus, please. Or Mr. Bacchus. Or Lord Bacchus. Or, sometimes, Oh-My-Gods-Please-Don't-Kill-Me, Lord Bacchus."
Cain leaned down to whisper to Claire. "I can see that the Roman side of him is also really obnoxious." She hummed in agreement.
Percy urged Blackjack forward, though the pegasus wasn't very happy about it. "You look different," he told the god. "Skinnier. Your hair is longer. And your shirt isn't so loud."
"Percy," Claire muttered to him in a harsh whisper. But they all knew by now there was no point in trying to stop Percy's death wish when it came to disrespecting every god he met.
Bacchus scowled up at Percy▬though it was more of an annoyed squint than a scowl, as if he was searching for an annoying, buzzing fly to squash. "What in the blazes are you talking about? Who are you, and where is Ceres?"
"Uh ... what series?"
"I think he means Ceres," said Jason, gently guiding Tempest closer as well. "The goddess of agriculture. You'd call her Demeter." He bowed his head, respectful to the god. "Lord Bacchus, do you remember me? I helped you with that missing leopard in Sonoma."
Missing leopard? mouthed Percy, incredulous.
Bacchus hummed. He scratched the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "Ah ... yes. John Green."
"Er▬Jason Grace."
"Whatever. Did Ceres send you, then?"
Jason hesitated. He shifted awkwardly on the back of the storm spirit. "No, Lord Bacchus," he said carefully. "Were you expecting to meet her here?"
The god snorted. "Well, I didn't come to Kansas to party, my boy. Ceres asked me here for a council of war. What with Gaea rising, the crops are withering. Droughts are spreading. The karpoi are in revolt. Even my grapes aren't safe. Ceres wanted a united front in the plant war."
Percy couldn't help himself. "The plant war, huh? You're gonna arm all the little grapes with tiny assault rifles?" Claire smacked his knee, though she bit back an amused smile.
Bacchus's eyes narrowed onto Percy as if realising this annoying, buzzing fly was still there. "Have we met?"
"At Camp Half-Blood," said Percy. "I know you as Mr. D▬Dionysus."
And just like that, Bacchus doubled over in pain. "Argh!" he let out, clutching his head as if he had a splitting headache. Cain watched, his eyes wide as his image flickered in the sunlight. For a moment, he saw the Mr. D he knew▬a man more plump in size and with a leopard-print shirt that blinded the eye more than the sun. He groaned and stumbled slightly before the image flickered back to Bacchus. "Stop that!" he demanded furiously. "Stop thinking about me in Greek!"
Percy blinked, taken aback. "Uh, but▬"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay focused?! Splitting headaches all the time! I never know what I'm doing or where I'm going! Constantly grumpy!"
"That sounds pretty normal for you."
Claire sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as Bacchus's nostrils flared with anger. A grape leaf on his straw hat burst into flames. "If we know each other from that other camp, it's a wonder I haven't already turned you into a dolphin."
"It was discussed," Percy was not intimidated at all. Cain watched to throw some dirt at him▬distract him before he said something else potentially life-threatening to the lot of them. "I think you were just too lazy for it."
"Okay▬!" Claire interrupted, holding up her hands and shooting Percy a quick warning scowl over her shoulder. "Lord Bacchus, I'm sorry about him, he doesn't always think things through. What Percy was trying to say▬" she shot her boyfriend another look, "▬was that he's grateful you haven't turned him into a dolphin for being so insufferable half the time."
Percy made a face and went to say something back to his girlfriend▬Cain wanted to throw something at the both of them. They needed Annabeth here. She was usually the one able to reel both of those two idiots back in line before they argued up an entire storm no matter if they were in front of a god or on a battlefield.
He was thankful when Piper leapt off Tempest's back and rushed forward, putting on a dazzling smile. "Lord Bacchus!" she exclaimed in a delightful tone, cutting off both Percy and Claire and their hushed argument at the same time.
"Piper, careful," murmured Jason but she shot him a reassuring look of: I got this.
"Sorry to trouble you, my lord," she said to Bacchus, "but actually we came here to get your advice. Please, we need your wisdom."
Her charmspeak slipped out like warm butter on toast. Bacchus frowned, and the glittering, vicious purple glow in his gaze simmered. He turned to Piper, intrigued. "You're well-spoken, girl. Advice, eh? Very well. I would avoid karaoke. Really, theme parties in general are out. In these austere times, people are looking for a simple, low-key affair, with locally produced organic snacks and▬"
"Not about parties," Piper quickly interrupted. She then backtracked just as quickly. "Although that is incredibly useful advice, Lord Bacchus. We were hoping you'd help us on our quest."
Piper explained their quest in a record amount of time. She managed to go from the giants' aim to wake Gaea, the Argo II's departure to the fiasco at New Rome, onto Nemesis's warning that they only had six days or the old Rome would be destroyed. She then described the vision she had in her knife where Bacchus offered her a silver goblet.
Bacchus made a face▬he did not look or sound very excited: "Silver goblet?" Out of nowhere, a Diet Pepsi appeared and the top of the can went pop! as he opened it.
Percy looked horrified at the site. His face contorted, as if disgusted. He glanced at Claire, then Cain, before turning back to the god and muttering: "You drink Diet Coke."
"I don't know what you're talking about," snapped the god of wine. "As to this vision of the goblet, young lady, I have nothing for you to drink unless you want a Pepsi. Jupiter has put me under strict orders to avoid giving wine to minors. Bothersome, but there you have it. As for the giants, I know them well. I fought in the first Giant War, you know."
"You can fight?" frowned Percy. Cain let out a long and disappointed sigh at how incredulous he sounded.
Bacchus grew furious. He snarled and his Diet Pepsi transformed into a five-foot-tall staff wrapped in wreaths of ivy and topped with a pinecone.
"Oh! A thyrsus!" exclaimed Claire, trying to distract the god before he whacked her boyfriend over the head. "Wow," she put on a smile, but it was very forced. "That's a mighty weapon!"
"Indeed," agreed Bacchus. He eyed Percy for a moment with a dark violet glower. "I'm glad someone in your group is smart. The pinecone is a fearsome tool of destruction! I was a demigod myself in the first Giant War, you know. The son of Jupiter!"
Jason subtly flinched. Cain started to realise that Jason had a lot of famous▬or infamous▬siblings. Most of the Olympians were actually his half-siblings, and that was suddenly really weird (and disturbing) to think about.
Bacchus swung his staff threw the air▬however, he nearly stumbled off balance. "Of course, that was long before I invented wine and became an immortal. I fought side by side with the gods and some other demigod ... Harry Cleese, I think."
"Do you mean Heracles?" Cain muttered, confused.
"Whatever. Anyway, I killed the giant Ephialtes and his brother Otis. Horrible boors, those two. Pinecone in the face for both of them!"
A realisation struck Cain. Ephialtes and his brother Otis. He remembered a line in the prophecy: Twins suff out the angel's breath. He glanced at the others and knew they were all thinking the same thing.
Piper was the only one with the courage to tread further. "Lord Bacchus," she did a very good job at hiding the way her voice quivered. "Those two giants, Ephialtes and Otis ... would they happen to be twins?"
"Hmm?" the god was distracted by his spinning thyrsus. He nearly whacked himself with it. "Oh▬yes, twins. That's right."
The demigods all shared another knowing look.
"That's why we're here," said Piper, her voice holding a bit more confidence than before. "You're part of our quest!"
Bacchus frowned at her. "I'm sorry, my girl. I'm not a demigod anymore. I don't do quests."
"But giants can only be killed by heroes and gods working together," she insisted. "You're a god now, and the two giants we have to fight are Ephialtes and Otis. I think ... I think they're waiting for us in Rome. They're going to destroy the city somehow. The silver goblet I saw in my vision▬maybe it's meant as a symbol for your help. You have to help us kill the giants!"
Cain inwardly winced at Piper's poor choice of words at the end. He expected the glare Bacchus placed on her▬he wasn't so pleased with her, not anymore. "My girl," he sneered, cold and chilled like an iced champagne. "I don't have to do anything. Besides, I only help those who give me proper tribute, which no one has managed to do in many, many centuries."
He didn't like the sound of that. Tribute? What sort of tribute? He was sure it wasn't just a burning of food into the fire at tonight's dinner. The way Bacchus said it, it sounded malicious▬cold. Cain could hear everyone's growing fear of what he might mean around him, hissing at his ears like snakes. He decided he should be the one to ask. "What kind of tribute?"
Bacchus waved his hand, letting out a dismissive scoff. "Nothing you could handle, insolent Greek. But I will give you some free advice, since this girl▬" he gestured at Piper, "▬does have some manners. Seek out Gaea's son, Phorcys. He always hated his mother, not that I can blame him. He didn't have much use for his siblings the twins, either. You'll find him in the city they named after that heroine▬Atalanta."
Claire hesitated. She pursed her lips. "Uh ... You mean Atlanta?"
"That's what I just said."
She decided it best not to correct him further.
"But this Phorcys," spoke up Jason, "is he a giant? A Titan?"
Bacchus laughed at this. "Neither. Seek out the salt water."
Percy matched Claire's incredulous glance almost to the exact. "Salt water ... In Atlanta?"
"Yes," the god scowled at him. "Are you hard of hearing? If anyone can give you insight on Gaea and the twins, it's Phorcys. Just watch out for him."
"What do you mean?" frowned Cain.
They watched Bacchus glance upwards at the overbearing summer sun which was now glaring down at a position close to noon. "It's unlike Ceres to be late, unless she sensed something dangerous in this area. Or..."
His face went slack. "Or a trap. Well, I must be going! And if I were you, I'd do the same!"
Jason's eyes widened. "Lord Bacchus, wait▬!"
Too late. The god shimmered and disappeared into thin air with a pop!
"I hate him," muttered Percy. "I actually hate him."
Claire held her hand up to him, her brows knitted together in a troubling stare as she frowned at the pastures around them. Cain could feel something crawl up from the earth▬deep into his bones and all the way to his chest where he felt like his lungs were being filled with sand. He coughed, startled. He frowned to himself when he felt something burn at his skin▬and he was terrified of it. He was terrified of the fire and of the lightning striking down, turning the pasture around him into an out-of-control blaze.
Claire shivered and her eyes widened. Her hand flew up to her neck as if she felt a chill▬a cold, cold feeling crawl up her spine. "We need to leave," she said. "Now."
Too late, sighed a sleepy voice, dragging from the depths of the earth like the wind sifting the dirt along at the edges of the road. Cain stumbled, glancing around at the rustling sunflowers. The horses paced, agitated. His heart raced, too as he realised what he felt. Whose fear he had felt.
He stumbled for his longsword. Jason and Percy both drew their swords while Claire held up her hand, her eyes wide and her cheeks pale as they watched the sunflowers turn to look at them; the wheat had bent towards them like a sea of taloned scythes.
Welcome to my party, mused Gaea. Her chuckles were like crackles of corn bursting into popcorn on an open fire. Hmm ... What did Bacchus say? A simple, lowkey affair with organic snacks? Yes. For my snacks, I need only two: the blood of a female demigod and the blood of a male. Who should I pick for my sacrifice? We are a bit uneven in our numbers, here, don't you think?
"Gaea!" shouted Jason courageously, his voice thundering over the rustling wheat▬as if it laughed with Gaea, like the sound of rattlesnakes lurking in the shadows of the sunflowers' long stems. "Stop hiding in the wheat. Show yourself!"
Such bravado, Gaea murmured, chuckling deep and low. But the other one, Percy Jackson, also has appeal. The Hero of Olympus and the Light's Kin, perhaps your sacrifice might just give me the power I need. What do you say, Claire Moore? If you were to die again, who would you like to die with you?
Claire stiffened. Her eyes widened at the sunflowers. She glanced at Percy and held her hand up a bit higher, though it shook. "W▬what?"
Hmm ... the earth goddess continued her words, sounding very amused. Then again, I do wonder whether even the son of Fear himself dreads the possibility of his own demise. Choose, Claire Moore, or I will.
"I'm not choosing anything for you!" snapped Claire, her anger growing.
Jason gasped. He lurched upright in his saddle. Piper stumbled backwards and spun around, her breath hitching. "Jason!" she cried. "What's wrong▬?"
Cain's own eyes widened when he saw the look in Jason's eye as he stared down at Piper. His gaze was dead and still▬frozen over with glowing, solid gold. "Uh ...?" Cain glanced at Claire and Piper. "What's going on?"
"Percy▬" Claire tried to grab his attention, spinning around only to find Percy gallowing away from them.
Cain rushed up to her side, staring in horror as Percy stopped thirty feet down the road and wheeled Blackjack around. He raised his sword and pointed the tip towards Jason. "One will die," he said, but it wasn't Percy's voice that spoke. It was something much older▬ancient even, whispering like the voices Cain heard in his ears. He felt his knees quiver.
"I will choose," answered Jason in the same hollow voice.
And that was the last thing Cain remembered before those whispers overtook him▬and the last breath he took that was his own was filled with the burning fire from Gaea's dreadful laugh.
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a/n: cain chapter CAIN CHAPTER!
(also if the last sentence didn't make sense, cain also went eidolon crazy, because like it wouldn't make sense if gaea was just like lol, you can just hang around and not try to murder the other bois).
if y'all are gonna ask why claire didn't just call her dad's chariot is because i should have realised this before in the lost hero but if the gods technically aren't allowed to talk with their demigod children rn then claire wouldn't have access to the chariot which means ... no chariot flying for her, lol. plot hole. oops.
anyway, cain chapter!!!!
no one:
me 🤝 adding percy's oc love interest in this scene and making her choose cos foreshadowing.
cain deserves so much better... *sighs* guess that's my fault again.
anyway, i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and i hope it was worth the wait cos i'm terrible at updating sorry.
(limited editing).