𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅.
percy was nervous to see her.
the thirty foot tall giant put the white flag away.
beside him was a half-blood in armor, which was of course ethan. cherry was beside him, still holding his hand.
an empousa demon with a black dress and flaming hair was standing holdings arms with a tall man in a tuxedo.
suddenly, cherry lost her unbothered expression.
"lia?" cherry asked, her voice wavering.
it took the blackhaired girl a moment to figure out who it was; only one person in the world called her lia.
why hadn't anybody told her that cherry switched sides?
"cherry?" thalia spoke, heartbreak coating her tone.
"percy jackson," the giant said in a silky voice. "it's a great honor."
the empousa hissed at him.
"my dear," tux dude said to her. "why don't you make yourself comfortable over there, eh?"
she released his arm and drifted over to a park bench.
"hey, ethan," percy said. "you're looking good."
ethan glared at him.
percy swallowed.
no matter how many times he insulted ethan, it didn't take his hand out of cherry'..
"to business." tux dude extended his hand. "i am prometheus."
percy was too distracted to shake. "the fire-stealer guy? the chained-to-the-rock-with-the-vultures guy?"
prometheus winced. he touched the scratches on his face. "please, don't mention the vultures. but yes, i stole fire from the gods and gave it to your ancestors. in return, the ever merciful zeus had me chained to a rock and tortured for all eternity."
"but-"
"how did i get free? hercules did that, eons ago. so you see, i have a soft spot for heroes. some of you can be quite civilized."
"unlike the company you keep."
"oh, demons aren't so bad. you just have to keep them well fed. now, percy jackson, let us parley. percy, your position is weak. you know you can't stop another assault."
"we'll see."
finally, the red haired girl spoke.
"he's the titan of forethought." cherry warned.
annabeth and thalia both stared her down, for different reasons.
"also the titan of crafty counsel," grover put in. "emphasis on crafty. "
then, he stopped talking.
just for a moment, he'd forgotten he wasn't supposed to be friends with cherry.
prometheus shrugged. "true enough, satyr. but i supported the gods in the last war. i told kronos: 'you don't have the strength. you'll lose.' and i was right. so you see, i know how to pick the winning side. this time, i'm backing kronos."
"because zeus chained you to a rock," percy guessed.
"partly, yes. i won't deny i want revenge. but that's not the only reason i'm supporting kronos. it's the wisest choice. i'm here because i thought you might listen to reason. this is manhattan. we have armies here, here, here, and here. we know your numbers. we outnumber you twenty to one."
"your spy has been keeping you posted,"
"at any rate, our forces are growing daily. tonight, kronos will attack. you will be overwhelmed. you've fought bravely, but there's just no way you can hold all of manhattan. you'll be forced to retreat to the empire state building. there you'll be destroyed. i have seen this. it will happen."
"i won't let it happen,"
"understand, percy. you are refighting the trojan war here. patterns repeat themselves in history. they reappear just as monsters do. a great siege. two armies. the only difference is, this time you are defending. you are troy. and you know what happened to the trojans, don't you?"
"so you're going to cram a wooden horse into the elevator at the empire state building? good luck."
"troy was completely destroyed, percy. you don't want that to happen here. stand down, and new york will be spared. your forces will be granted amnesty. i will personally assure your safety. let kronos take olympus. who cares? typhon will destroy the gods."
"right, and i'm supposed to believe kronos would spare the city."
"all he wants is olympus, the might of the gods is tied to their seats of power. you saw what happened to poseidon once his undersea palace was attacked. i know that was hard for you. when kronos destroys olympus, the gods will fade. they will become so weak they will be easily defeated. kronos would rather do this while typhon has the olympians distracted in the west. much easier. fewer lives lost."
percy tried to keep himself focused, but he just couldn't stop starting at cherry.
cherry thought it was better for her to keep her mouth shut.
she had no idea what she'd do or say if didn't try to keep herself calm. ethan's hand in hers seemed to weigh her back down to the ground.
she wanted to apologize.
she wanted to crumble into percy's arms and tell her that she was sorry, to beg for his forgiveness.
but she was in far too deep. she'd just have to take down kronos her way, and apologize later.
the look on her friends faces, and especially percy's, made it difficult.
she should've just stayed back.
"make no mistake, the best you can do is slow us down. the day after tomorrow, typhon arrives in new york, and you will have no chance at all. the gods and mount olympus will still be destroyed, but it will be much messier. much, much worse for you and your city. either way, the titans will rule." prometheus continued.
thalia pounded her fist on the table. "i serve artemis. the hunters will fight to our last breath. percy, you're not seriously going to listen to this slimeball, are you?"
"your courage does you credit, thalia grace."
"that's my mother's surname. i don't use it."
"as you wish. at any rate, you need not be my enemy. i have always been a helper of mankind."
"that's a load of minotaur dung. when mankind first sacrificed to the gods, you tricked them into giving you the best portion. you gave us fire to annoy the gods, not because you cared about us."
"you don't understand. i helped shape your nature. i
have been whispering in man's ear since the beginning of your existence. i represent your curiosity, your sense of exploration, your inventiveness. help me save you, percy. do this, and i will give mankind a new gift, a new revelation that will move you as far for-ward as fire did. you can't make that kind of advance under the gods. they would never allow it. but this could be a new golden age for you. or.."
prometheus trailed off.
cherry tried to distract herself with anything else.
she looked around the park. there were no birds out. the trees didn't sway.
"percy, you know the titans and their offspring are not all bad," prometheus said. "you've met calypso."
cherry glared at the giant for mentioning her.
she yanked her hand out of ethan's, and then crossed her arms.
percy was stunned. "that's different." he tried to defend himself.
"how? much like me, she did nothing wrong, and yet she was exiled forever simply because she was atlas's daughter. we are not your enemies. don't let the worst happen. we offer you peace." prometheus pleaded.
percy looked at ethan nakamura. "you must hate this."
"i don't know what you mean." ethan answered.
"if we took this deal, you wouldn't get revenge. you wouldn't get to kill us all. isn't that what you want?"
"all i want is respect, jackson. the gods never gave me that. you wanted me to go to your stupid camp, spend my time crammed into the hermes cabin because i'm not important? not even recognized?"
"your mom's the goddess of revenge. we should respect that?"
"nemesis stands for balance! when people have too much good luck, she tears them down."
"which is why she took your eye?"
"it was payment, in exchange, she swore to me that one day i would tip the balance of power. i would bring the minor gods respect. an eye was a small price to pay."
"great mom."
"at least she keeps her word, unlike the olympians. she always pays her debts, good or evil."
"yeah. so i saved your life, and you repaid me by raising kronos. that's fair."
ethan grabbed the hilt of his sword, but cherry stopped him.
her eyes bore into his, and he put his hand back at his side.
"i'll kill you." cherry told him.
thalia remembered just how much love cherry had for percy.
she thought it was a shame that it hadn't been enough to stop her from turning to the other side.
"now, now," the titan said. "we're on a diplomatic mission."
prometheus studied percy as if trying to understand his anger. then he nodded like he'd just picked a thought from his brain.
"it bothers you what happened to luke," he decided. "hestia didn't show you the full story. perhaps if you understood..."
the titan reached out.
thalia cried a warning, but before percy could react, prometheus's index finger touched his forehead. a second later, he pulled away.
percy looked starstruck.
"percy?" thalia asked. "what.. what was that?"
percy realized he was clammy with sweat.
prometheus nodded sympathetically. "appalling, isn't it? the gods know what is to come, and yet they do nothing, even for their children. how long did it take for them to tell you your prophecy, percy jackson? don't you think your father knows what will happen to you?"
percy was too stunned to answer.
cherry couldn't have him turn. she wanted to say something. she wanted to hold him.
she couldn't.
"percy," grover warned, "he's playing with your mind. trying to make you angry."
"do you really blame your friend luke?" the titan asked. "and what about you, percy? will you be controlled by your fate? kronos offers you a much better deal."
"i'll give you a deal. tell kronos to call off his attack, leave luke castellan's body, return cherry, and return to the pits of tartarus. then maybe i won't have to destroy him," percy balled his fists.
the empousa snarled. her hair erupted in fresh flames, but prometheus just sighed.
"if you change your mind," he said, "i have a gift for you."
a greek vase appeared on the table. it was about three feet high and a foot wide, glazed with black-and-white geometric designs. the ceramic lid was fastened with a leather harness.
grover whimpered when he saw it.
thalia gasped. "that's not-"
"yes," prometheus said. "you recognize it. this belonged to my sister-in-law, pandora."
"as in pandora's box?" percy asked, with a lump in his throat.
"i don't know how this box business got started. it was never a box. it was a pithos, a storage jar. i suppose pandora's pithos doesn't have the same ring to it, but never mind that. yes, she did open this jar, which contained most of the demons that now haunt mankind. fear, death, hunger, sickness. the first empousa was also trapped in this jar, released by pandora."
just listening to the titan made percy understand why cherry was turned so easily.
she had too much compassion.
she believed she was doing what was right for people who needed revenge. he couldn't accept that she was a monster.
"but what i find curious about the story.. pandora always gets the blame. she is punished for being, curious. the gods would have you believe that this is the lesson: mankind should not explore. they should not ask questions. they should do what they are told. in truth, percy, this jar was a trap designed by zeus and the other gods. it was revenge on me and my entire family, my poor simple brother epimetheus and his wife pandora. the gods knew she would open the jar. they were willing to punish the entire race of humanity along with us." prometheus told him, with a frown, as he tapped the lid of pandora's jar.
"only one spirit remained inside when pandora opened it." he continued.
"hope," percy said.
"very good, percy. elpis, the spirit of hope, would not abandon humanity. hope does not leave without being given permission. she can only be released by a child of man. i give you this as a reminder of what the gods are like. keep elpis, if you wish. but if you decide that you have seen enough destruction, enough futile suffering, then open the jar. let elpis go. give up hope, and i will know that you are surrendering. i promise kronos will be lenient. he will spare the survivors."
"i don't want the thing."
"too late, the gift is given. it cannot be taken back."
cherry called out to the blue giant, and instructed him to get the flag.
the monster did as he was told.
ethan looked at him jealously. he could've gotten the flag.
"we'll seen you soon. bye, perce." cherry spoke, as ethan gave him one last hateful look.
the rest of the group turned and walked.
cherry was behind them.
annabeth watched as the redhead waved and smiled at them as if nothing ever happened.
thalia had no idea what was going on.
she questioned all of her friends. how were none of them bothered by it? by the fact she was just gone.
she refused to believe she'd do something like that.
« ───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───── »
cherry was uncomfortable being back at aunty em's
garden gnome emporium.
all she could think about was percy and her friends being back there.
cherry sat right beside kronos on the golden couch in the lounge inside. kroos could just tell there was something wrong with him.
he refused to have his best soldier distracted.
before he could question her, ethan entered the room.
"well, nakamura. what did you think of the diplomatic mission?" kronos asked.
ethan hesitated. "i'm sure lord prometheus is better suited to speak-"
"but i asked you. " kronos spoke.
ethan's good eye darted back and forth, noting the guards that stood around him. "i.. i don't think jackson will surrender. ever."
"anything else you wanted to tell me?"
"n-no, sir.
"you look nervous, ethan."
"no, sir. it's just.. i heard this was the lair of-"
"medusa? yes, quite true. lovely place, eh? unfortunately, medusa hasn't re-formed since jackson killed her, so you needn't worry about joining her collection. besides, there are much more dangerous forces in this room."
kronos looked over at a laistrygonian giant who was munching noisily on some french fries.
kronos waved his hand and the giant froze. a french fry hung suspended in midair halfway between his hand and
his mouth.
cherry giggled, as she adjusted her hair.
"why turn them to stone," kronos asked, "when you can freeze time itself?"
his golden eyes bored into ethan's face. "now, tell me one more thing. what happened last night on the williamsburg bridge?"
ethan trembled. beads of perspiration were popping up on his forehead. "i.. i don't know, sir."
"yes, you do. when you attacked jackson, something happened. something was not quite right. the girl, annabeth, jumped in your way."
"she wanted to save him."
"but he is invulnerable, you saw that yourself."
"i can't explain it. maybe she forgot."
"she forgot. yes, that must've been it. oh dear, i forgot my friend is invulnerable and took a knife for him. oops. tell me, ethan, where were you aiming when you stabbed at jackson?"
"i'm not sure, sir. it all happened so fast. i wasn't aiming for any spot in particular."
"i see. if your memory improves, i will expect-"
suddenly, the titan lord winced.
the giant in the corner unfroze and the french fry fell into his mouth. kronos stumbled backward and sank into the couch.
kronos hadn't attained full power. cherry knew she had to do something before he did.
"my lord?" ethan started forward.
"kronos." cherry sat up, and adjusted the man.
his voice was broken, and he grabbed onto the girls arms. he hated how weak she was making him look.
he spoke, and just for a moment, it was luke's. then kronos's expression hardened.
cherry let go of him, and he nodded.
"it is nothing," he said, his voice steely and cold again. "a minor discomfort."
ethan moistened his lips. "he's still fighting you, isn't he? luke-"
"nonsense," kronos spat. "repeat that lie, and i will have cherry cut out your tongue. the boy's soul has been crushed. i am simply adjusting to the limits of this form. it requires rest. it is annoying, but no more than a temporary inconvenience."
"as.. as you say, my lord." ethan nodded.
cherry took a break from doing her hair.
she looked perfect, anyways.
"you!" kronos pointed his scythe at adracaena with green armor and a green crown. "queen sess, is it?"
"yes, my lord." the woman said.
"is our little surprise ready to be unleashed?"
"oh, yes, my lord. quite a lovely surprise."
"excellent. tell my brother hyperion to move our main force south into central park. the half-bloods will be in such disarray they will not be able to defend themselves. go now, ethan. work on improving your memory. we will talk again when we have taken manhattan."
ethan bowed.
cherry pursed her lips as the boy walked away.
"we must prepare for tomorrow." kronos shook his head.
"i'm prepared enough!" cherry complained.
it was a lie.
she never intended on fighting. she never did, just took credit for others work and got away with it.
the rest of the night was spent with cherry trying to convince kronos to do a face mask with her. he refused, and after a screaming match, painted her nails for her.
he made her swear on her life that she would never tell a soul.
she was like the daughter he never had. a daughter who supported his every word and obeyed all of his orders.
too bad he never liked his children very much.
« ───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───── »
cherry wore no armor.
she told everyone it was because she was confident in her abilities. it was just because she thought it was ugly.
she sat silently beside kronos in a golden chariot. a dozen laistrygonian giants bore torches before them. two hyperboreans carried his black-and-purple banners. the titan lord looked fresh and rested, his powers at full strength.
cherry seemed so cold.
so blank. she looked tired.
a loud hunting horn cut through the noise of the battle like a fire alarm. the sound echoed off the buildings of manhattan.
kronos and cherry shared the same confused look.
giants lowered their clubs. dracaenae hissed.
suddenly, a hundred monsters cried out at once. kronos's entire northern flank surged forward. hundreds of members of kronos's army rushed straight past the campers and back to the rest of the army.
a new blast of horns shattered the night. the air shimered. in a blur of movement, an entire cavalry appeared as if dropping out of light speed.
a shower of arrows arced over our heads and slammed into kronos's army, vaporizing hundreds of demons. cherry yelped, and kronos used her as a cover.
"pussy!" cherry said, and smacked him.
they both hid in the inside of the chariot, spewing insults at each-other like children.
cherry glanced up, and then back down. the party pony army exploded into the midst in a riot of colors. kronos questioned her, asking if she knew them.
cherry denied ever having seen them.
"stop running, you fools!" kronos yelled, as if he were any less frightened."stand and-!"
that last part was cut off by a panicked hyperborean giant who had stumbled backward and sat on top of him.
percy watched as cherry lost her strict composure and erupted into giggles.
he wanted to smile, but he couldn't.
finally the ranks of centaurs pulled back, letting the enemy flee.
percy stared straight at the place cherry had been at.
chiron frowned, and told him something about how he needed to let go.
« ───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───── »
cherry looked around the u.n. complex, where kronos's army had set up camp.
the flagpoles were hung with horrible trophies. helmets and armor pieces from defeated campers. all along first avenue, giants sharpened their axes.
telkhines repaired armor at makeshift forges.
kronos himself paced at the top of the plaza, swinging his scythe so his dracaenae bodyguards stayed way back. of course cherry was seated right next to him.
ethan nakamura and prometheus stood nearby, out of slicing range. ethan was fidgeting with his shield straps, but prometheus looked as calm and collected as ever in his tuxedo.
"i hate this place," kronos growled. "united nations. as if mankind could ever unite. remind me to tear down this building after we destroy olympus."
"can i come with?" cherry asked.
"if you stop bothering me."
"i've never bothered you a day in my life."
"you are a horrible liar. i should have you executed."
"then who would be your best-friend? ethan?"
"we are not best-friends. i will feed you to the hell-hounds. then, that weakling chiron."
"you're gonna feed me to chiron after, or after you feed me to the hell-hounds, you're gonna feed chiron to them, too?"
"i despise you!"
kronos swung his scythe and cut a flagpole in half. the national colors of brazil toppled into the army, squashing adracaena.
"we will destroy them!" kronos roared. "it is time to unleash the drakon. nakamura, you will do this."
cherry was grateful that she was his right-hand man. all she had to do was with by and pretend like she cared about anything he had to say.
ethan was like kronos's personal guinea pig. he was tossed into every plan he had.
"y-yes, lord. at sunset?" ethan nodded.
"no," kronos said. "immediately. the defenders of olympus are badly wounded. they will not expect a quick attack. besides, we know this drakon they cannot beat."
"my lord?"
"never you mind, nakamura. just do my bidding. i want olympus in ruins by the time typhon reaches new york. we will break the gods utterly!"
"but, my lord, your regeneration."
"does it seem that i need to regenerate?"
cherry refrained from making any further comments.
kronos had had enough of her for the day. he wouldn't hesitate to kill her.
« ───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───── »
kronos's vanguard was in the lead: ethan nakamura, the dracaena queen in her green armor, and two hyperboreans. cherry was standing right beside them, which made percy sick.
kronos himself stood with his scythe in hand, the only thing standing on his way being chiron.
cherry was uneasy at the sight of the centaur who had an arrow notched and aimed straight at kronos's face.
as soon as kronos saw percy, his gold eyes flared. cherry hoped nothing would happen to him, and thankfully, kronos turned back attention to chiron. "step aside, little son."
"i'm afraid not." chiron's tone was steely calm, the way it always was when he was really angry.
the dracaena queen became impatient and charged.
chiron's arrow flew straight between her eyes and she vaporized on the spot, her empty armor clattering to the asphalt.
chiron reached for another arrow, but his quiver was empty. he dropped the bow and drew his sword.
kronos chuckled. he advanced a step, and chiron's horse-half skittered nervously. his tail flicked back and forth.
"you're a teacher," kronos sneered. "not a hero."
"luke was a hero," chiron said. "he was a good one, until you corrupted him."
"fool! you filled his head with empty promises. you said the gods cared about me!"
"me. you said me."
cherry and chiron shared the same look.
kronos looked confused, and in that moment, chiron struck. it was a good maneuver, a feint followed by a strike to the face.
kronos was quick. he had all of luke's fighting skill, which was a lot. he knocked aside chiron's blade and yelled,
"back!"
a blinding white light exploded between the titan and the centaur. chiron flew into the side of the building with such force the wall crumbled and collapsed on top of him.
thalia and percy pulled helplessly at the bricks while a ripple of ugly laughter ran through the titan's army.
cherry was the only person who wasn't laughing.
her was blank, but percy recognized the sheer horror in her eyes.
annabeth turned on luke, and drew her knife. "to think that i thought-"
"annabeth, don't." percy tried to stop her.
annabeth attacked kronos, and his smug smile faded.
perhaps some part of luke remembered that he used to take care of her when she was little. she plunged her knife between the straps of his armor, right at his collar bone. the blade should've sunk into his chest. instead it bounced off.
annabeth doubled over, clutching her arm to her stomach. the jolt might've been enough to dislocate her shoulder.
kronos swung his scythe.
suddenly, an unusually strong gust of wind shoved them back, just barely out of reach of the blade. cherry didn't look at them, but kronos gave an unsatisfied huff, so she knew it'd worked.
"i hate you!" annabeth cried, tears streaking the dust on her face.
cherry couldn't take it.
a frown settled upon her features.
"i have to fight him," percy told her.
"it's my fight too, percy!" annabeth argued. "how could you do this, cherry?"
cherry didn't say anything.
she just continued to stare, which broke annabeths heart even more.
she was like a robot. all she did was follow kronos's commands and look.
cherry knew if she did anything else, she'd start to cry.
kronos laughed. "so much spirit. i can see why luke wanted to spare you. unfortunately, that won't be possible."
he raised his scythe. before kronos could strike, a dog's howl pierced the air
the enemy forces stirred uneasily. then the strangest thing happened. they began to part, clearing a path through the street like something behind them was forcing them to.
soon there was a free aisle down the center of fifth avenue. standing at the end of the block was mrs. o'leary, and nico.
the enemy army fell back before him like he radiated death, which of course he did.
through the face guard of his skull-shaped helmet, he smiled. "got your message. is it too late to join the party?"
"son of hades." kronos spit on the ground. "do you love death so much you wish to experience it?"
"your death," nico said, "would be great for me."
"i'm immortal, you fool! i have escaped tartarus. you have no business here, and no chance to live."
"i don't agree."
the ground rumbled. cracks appeared in the road, the sidewalks, the sides of the buildings. skeletal hands grasped the air as the dead clawed their way into the world of the living. there were thousands of them, and as they emerged, the titan's monsters got jumpy and started to back up.
"hold your ground!" kronos demanded. "the dead are no match for us."
the sky turned dark and cold. shadows thickened. a harsh
war horn sounded, and as the dead soldiers formed up ranks with their guns and swords and spears, an enor-mous chariot roared down fifth avenue.
it came to a stop next to nico. the horses were living shadows, fashioned from darkness. the chariot was inlaid with obsidian and gold, decorated with scenes of painful death. holding the reins was hades himself, lord of the dead, with demeter and persephone riding behind him.
hades wore black armor and a cloak the color of fresh blood. on top of his pale head was the helm of darkness: a crown that radiated pure terror. it changed shape from a dragon's head to a circle of black flames to a wreath of human bones. but that wasn't the scary part.
only kronos's power and authority kept his ranks from fleeing.
hades smiled coldly. "hello, father. you're looking.. young. i see you've made some friends."
cherry wanted to spit out that kronos was not her friend, that he was anything but a friend.
ethan eyed her suspiciously.
cherry wiped her tears, mumbling something about dust. he knew she was lying.
ethan had known for a long time, just exactly what she was doing.
the way she never fought made it clear. he didn't ask her. he didn't want to have to kill her. it was foolish of him, he knew that.
it was stupid of him to love her when she paid him no attention at all. but he couldn't help himself.
"hades," kronos growled. "i hope you and the ladies have come to pledge your allegiance."
"i'm afraid not." hades sighed. "my son here convinced me that perhaps i should prioritize my list of enemies. as much as i dislike certain upstart demigods, it would not do for olympus to fall. i would miss bickering with my siblings. and if there is one thing we agree on, it is that you were a terrible father."
"true," muttered demeter. "no appreciation of agriculture."
"mother!" persephone complained.
hades drew his sword, a double-edged stygian blade etched with silver. "now fight me! for today the house of hades will be called the saviors of olympus."
"i don't have time for this," kronos snarled.
he struck the ground with his scythe. a crack spread in both directions, circling the empire state building.
a wall of force shimmered along the fissure line, separating kronos's vanguard, percy's friends, and percy from the bulk of the two armies.
outside the barrier, car engines revved to life. pedestrians woke up and stared uncomprehendingly at the monsters and zombies all around them. no telling what they saw through the mist, but it was definitely horrifying.
hades charged at the wall of force, but his chariot crashed against it and over-turned. he got to his feet, cursing, and blasted the wall with black energy. the barrier held.
"attack!" he roared.
the armies of the dead clashed with the titan's monsters. fifth avenue exploded into absolute chaos. mortals screamed and ran for cover. demeter waved her hand and an entire column of giants turned into a wheat field.
persephone changed the dracaenae's spears into sunflowers. nico slashed and hacked his way through the enemy, trying to protect the pedestrians as best he could.
"nakamura, cherry." kronos said. "attend me. giants.. deal with them."
kronos pointed at percy and his friends, then ducked into the lobby.
cherry looked between percy and kronos.
her eyes were still glassy.
yet, still, she followed kronos into the building.