❝so this could be the end, but I ain't sad ❞
Hina wanted to say she was heroic and calm, but she cried until she was on the verge of hyperventilating.
She could feel blood running down her neck. When she ran her hand along her throat, Hina could feel the talon marks engraved in her skin. She pulled her hand back, sticky red blood coating her fingers.
From the fact that she was still alive, Hina assumed Atropos has miraculously missed her vital arteries, but she was still losing too much blood.
She crawled towards the fraying string left behind. Hina wrapped the blue yarn around her fingers praying it would mend itself magically.
With the Fates gone, Hina could hear the fighting through the stone walls. She ran at the stone, her fists pounding against the rock until they bled. Hina screamed as loudly as she could, begging to save her friends.
"If I'm already dying, then this won't hurt," Hina tried to reassure herself, raising her hands. With a broken scream, Hina used all her strength to will any light in the room to bend to her command.
The stone wall popped and cracked, exploding into a pile of rubble. Hina covered her face, blocking the shrapnel of rock that flew at her.
Her arms were stinging like someone had dumped a vat of lemon juice into her cuts but she stumbled forward.
On the other side of the walls, stood half of her friends.
Hazel was enveloped in white mist, Leo sat on the floor coughing. Behind them, laid Annabeth and Percy. Hina's lip trembled. They looked- no, Hina told herself. She couldn't go there.
Across the room, Clytius, the giant was shrouded in darkness like Leo had seen in his dream. The Doors of Death behind him.
Hecate was there too and Hina wondered if her brain was hallucinating to make her last minutes alive less painful.
Then, Hazel threw her sword, snapping the second chain holding the Doors of Death and they vanished in a cloud of purple.
Clytius roared so loudly, a statue hanging from the ceiling crashed to the floor.
"That was for my brother, Nico," Hazel gasped. "And for destroying my father's altar."
"You have forfeited your right to a quick death," the giant snarled. "I will suffocate you in darkness, slowly, painfully. Hecate cannot help you. No one can help you!"
The goddess raised her torches. "I would not be so certain, Clytius. Hazel's friends simply needed a little time to reach her—time you have given them with your boasting and bragging."
Clytius snorted. "What friends? These weaklings? They are no challenge."
The air in front of Hazel rippled. Around Hina, a cold breezed washed over her and when she opened her eyes she stood in front of Hazel. Jason, Piper, Frank, and Nico appeared beside her, all with their swords drawn.
"Sorry we're late," Jason said. "Is this the guy who needs killing?"
Jason placed a hand on Hina's shoulder and she almost burst into tears. Being alone in the darkness of Hades for so long, Hina missed her friends. She quickly tucked the blue string into the safety of her pocket.
They attacked from every direction. For the first time in weeks, they were all together again.
Leo was shooting fire at Clytius's legs, Frank and Piper jabbing at his chest, Jason flying into the air and kicking him in the face. Hina fired her bow with a new ferocity, the burning in her chest fading to the back of her mind.
Each time the giant's smoky veil started creeping around one of them, Nico was there, slashing through it, drinking in the darkness with his Stygian blade.
Percy and Annabeth were still dazed, leaning on each other for support, but they'd raised their swords. Annabeth had drawn an ivory sword. They looked desperate to help. There was no need, the giant was surrounded.
Clytius kept spinning in circles and growling like he couldn't decide who to kill first.
The darkness around him dispelled completely, leaving nothing to protect him except his battered armor. Ichor oozed from a dozen wounds. The damage healed almost as fast as it was inflicted, but he was tiring.
With one last flying kick, Jason shattered Clytius's breastplate and sent the giant falling to his knees.
Only then did Hecate step forward, her torches raised. Mist curled around the giant, hissing and bubbling as it touched his skin.
"And so it ends," Hecate said.
"It does not end," Clytius's voice echoed from somewhere above, muffled and slurred. "My brethren have risen. Gaea waits only for the blood of Olympus. It took all of you together to defeat me. What will you do when the Earth Mother opens her eyes?"
Hecate turned her torches upside down. She thrust them like daggers at Clytius's head. It was sickening to watch as his head went up in flames like tinder, his entire body swallowed by fire. When the fire died, his body crumpled to dust, blowing away.
For a moment no one spoke. Hina's breathing was weak, her lungs screaming for oxygen.
Hecate faced Hazel. "You should go now, Hazel Levesque. Lead your friends out of this place."
Hazel gritted her teeth. "Just like that? No 'thank you'? No 'good work'?"
"You look in the wrong place for gratitude," Hecate said. "As for 'good work,' that remains to be seen. Speed your way to Athens. Clytius was not wrong. The giants have risen—all of them, stronger than ever. Gaea is on the very edge of waking. The Feast of Hope will be poorly named unless you arrive to stop her."
The chamber shook. A second statue crashed to the ground.
"The House of Hades is unstable," Hecate said. "Leave now. We shall meet again."
The goddess dissolved. The Mist evaporated.
"She's friendly," Percy grumbled.
The others turned toward him and Annabeth, as if just realizing they were there.
"Dude." Jason gave Percy a bear hug.
"Back from Tartarus!" Leo whooped. "That's my peeps!"
Piper threw her arms around Annabeth and cried.
Frank ran to Hazel. He gently folded his arms around her. "You're hurt," he said.
"Ribs probably broken," she admitted. "But Frank—what happened to your arm?"
He managed a smile. "Long story. We're alive. That's what matters."
Hearing Frank's words sent a chill down Hina's spine, as if she's forgotten about the blood seeping from her neck.
Hina made no effort to stop herself as she fell to the ground. She landed limply on her side, her hands reaching for the yarn in her pocket.
Everyone rushed to surround her, when a crack snaked along the roof.
Her eyes couldn't focus, the blurry heads of her friends lining her vision. Her hands went limp and she let her eyes drift shut.
Hina expected to be hit with a wave of pain but instead, warmth wrapped over Hina's body like a blanket. The fire in her lungs faded, and she could feel the cuts lining her cheeks fade.
Part of her was furious. Apollo continued to oppose the Fates on Hina's behalf. In the darkness of her eyes, she could see the blue string floating away from her, returned to its full length but forever frayed at the ends.
The building shook more urgently, and Hina could hear stone crashing into the floor.
Distantly, Hina heard Hazel and Nico talking about shadow travel, but her mind was fuzzy.
When her vision cleared they were no longer in the House of Hades. She was propped against a rock on a hill overlooking the city. The sun was beginning to rise, making the water sparkle and dousing the clouds in orange light.
Then, everyone began to stir.
Leo staggered backward. "You know...I think I'll sit down."
He collapsed to the ground, and Hina was suddenly aware of the grease stained shirt she wore. The others joined, everyone laying down on the cool grass. The Argo II was still docked in the bay, waiting for them.
They began to exchange stories.
Frank explained what had happened with the ghostly legion and the army of monsters—how Nico had used the scepter of Diocletian, and how bravely Jason and Piper had fought.
"Frank is being modest," Jason said. "He controlled the entire legion. You should've seen him. Oh, by the way..." Jason glanced at Percy. "I resigned my office, gave Frank a field promotion to praetor. Unless you want to contest that ruling."
Percy grinned. "No argument here."
"Praetor?" Hazel stared at Frank.
He shrugged uncomfortably. "Well...yeah. I know it seems weird."
Hazel kissed Frank. "It seems perfect."
Leo clapped Frank on the shoulder. "Way to go, Zhang. Now you can order Octavian to fall on his sword."
"Tempting," Frank agreed. He turned apprehensively to Percy. "But, you guys...Tartarus has to be the real story. What happened down there? How did you...?"
Percy laced his fingers through Annabeth's.
"We'll tell you the story," Percy promised. "But not yet, okay? I'm not ready to remember that place."
Frank nodded in understanding then turned to where Hina sat staring blankly ahead. "Where did you go, Hina? What happened to you?"
Hina realized how crazy she looked. Every inch of her body was battered and dry blood caked her face. Her hair was sticky and red where is had touched her skin, the short length falling just above her shoulders. "Just some family matters."
"Nice hair cut," Piper said, nudging Hina's foot with her own.
She gazed toward the river and faltered. "Uh, I think our ride is coming."
The Argo II veered to port, its aerial oars in motion, its sails catching the wind. Festus's head glinted in the sunlight. Hina smiled hearing Festus creak in the distance.
"That's my boy!" Leo yelled.
As the ship got closer, Hina saw Coach Hedge standing at the front.
"About time!" the coach yelled down. He was doing his best to scowl, but his eyes gleamed. "What took you so long, cupcakes? You kept your visitor waiting!"
"Visitor?" Hazel murmured.
At the rail, a dark hair girl stood in a billowing purple cape. She was covered in so much soot and blood, Hina almost didn't recognize her.
Reyna had made it.
The Athena Parthanos stood on the hill, her steely gaze fixed on the sea. Her gold dress shone in the sun.
"Incredible," Reyna admitted. She was circling the statue, studying it intensely. "It looks newly made."
"Yeah," Leo said. "We brushed off the cobwebs, used a little Windex. It wasn't hard."
The Argo II hovered just overhead. With Festus keeping watch for threats, the entire crew had decided to eat lunch on the hillside while they discussed what to do. Hina sat between Piper and Leo, weakly picking at her grapes. She had no appetite after the events of the day.
"Hey, Reyna," Annabeth called. "Have some food. Join us."
The praetor glanced over, her dark eyebrows furrowed, as if she didn't understand the idea. She wore a purple Camp Jupiter shirt with jeans while Buford repaired her armor. Even without the extra protection, Reyna still looked deadly.
"All right," she said finally.
They scooted over to make room for her in the circle. She sat cross-legged next to Annabeth, picked up a cheese sandwich, and nibbled at the edge.
"So," Reyna said. "Frank Zhang...praetor."
Frank shifted, wiping crumbs from his chin. "Well, yeah. Field promotion."
"To lead a different legion," Reyna noted. "A legion of ghosts."
After an hour in the med bay, everyone looked more lively. The colour had returned to Frank's face, and his arrow wound was almost gone.
"Reyna," Jason said, "you should've seen him."
"He was amazing," Piper agreed.
Hina smiled. She wished she'd gotten to see Frank go full commander mode, but she was still proud he finally realized his worth.
"Frank is a leader," Hazel insisted. "He makes a great praetor."
Reyna's eyes stayed on Frank, like she was trying to guess his weight. "I believe you," she said. "I approve."
Frank blinked. "You do?"
Reyna smiled dryly. "A son of Mars, the hero who helped to bring back the eagle of the legion...I can work with a demigod like that. I'm just wondering how to convince the Twelfth Fulminata."
Frank scowled. "Yeah. I've been wondering the same thing."
"The legion will listen to you, Reyna," Frank said. "You made it here alone, across the ancient lands."
Reyna chewed her sandwich as if it were cardboard. "In doing so, I broke the laws of the legion."
"Caesar broke the law when he crossed the Rubicon," Frank said. "Great leaders have to think outside the box sometimes."
She shook her head. "I'm not Caesar. After finding Jason's note in Diocletian's Palace, tracking you down was easy. I only did what I thought was necessary."
Percy couldn't help smiling. "Reyna, you're too modest. Flying halfway across the world by yourself to answer Annabeth's plea, because you knew it was our best chance for peace? That's pretty freaking heroic."
Reyna shrugged. "Says the demigod who fell into Tartarus and found his way back."
"He had help," Annabeth said.
"Oh, obviously," Reyna said. "Without you, I doubt Percy could find his way out of a paper bag."
"True," Annabeth agreed.
"Hey!" Percy complained.
The rest of the group started laughing, and Hina joined ignoring the pain in her lungs.
Leo pulled a small screwdriver from his belt and speared a chocolate covered strawberry before handing it to Coach Hedge. Then he pulled out a second screwdriver and speared a strawberry offering it to Hina.
She clutched the screwdriver, staring down at the fruit.
Hina felt weak in the stomach sitting next to Leo. She had barely spoken to him since he'd returned from Ogygia. She was at a loss for words. What do you say to your boyfriend who fell in love with someone else after you almost die for them? Hina was certain there wasn't a self-help book for her problem.
"So, the twenty-million-peso question," Leo said. "We got this slightly used forty-foot-tall statue of Athena. What do we do with it?"
Reyna squinted at the Athena Parthenos. "As fine as it looks on this hill, I didn't come all this way to admire it. According to Annabeth, it must be returned to Camp Half-Blood by a Roman leader. Do I understand correctly?"
Annabeth nodded. "I had a dream down in...you know, Tartarus. I was on Half-Blood Hill, and Athena's voice said, I must stand here. The Roman must bring me."
Hina glanced up to Athena's cold face.
"It makes sense," Nico said.
Nico sat across from Hina, on the outskirts of their circle. He was eating half a pomegranate: the fruit of the Underworld. Hina wondered if it was an intentional choice.
"The statue is a powerful symbol," Nico said. "A Roman returning it to the Greeks...that could heal the historic rift, maybe even heal the gods of their split personalities."
Coach Hedge swallowed his strawberry along with half the screwdriver. "Now, hold on. I like peace as much as the next satyr—"
"You hate peace," Leo said as Hina scoffed, "You don't."
"The point is, Valdez, we're only—what, a few days from Athens? We got an army of giants waiting for us there. We went to all the trouble of saving this statue—"
"I went to most of the trouble," Annabeth reminded him.
"—because that prophecy called it the giants' bane," the coach continued. "So why aren't we taking it to Athens with us? It's obviously our secret weapon." He eyed the Athena Parthenos. "It looks like a ballistic missile to me. Maybe if Valdez strapped some engines to it—"
Piper cleared her throat. "Uh, great idea, Coach, but a lot of us have had dreams and visions of Gaea rising at Camp Half-Blood..."
She unsheathed her dagger Katoptris and set it on her plate. At the moment, the blade showed nothing except sky, but Hina hated the dagger with a passion.
"Since we got back to the ship," Piper said, "I've been seeing some bad stuff in the knife. The Roman legion is almost within striking distance of Camp Half-Blood. They're gathering reinforcements: spirits, eagles, wolves."
"Octavian," Reyna growled. "I told him to wait."
"When we take over command," Frank suggested, "our first order of business should be to load Octavian into the nearest catapult and fire him as far away as possible."
"Agreed," Reyna said. "But for now—"
"He's intent on war," Annabeth put in. "He'll have it, unless we stop him."
Piper turned the blade of her knife. "Unfortunately, that's not the worst of it. I saw images of a possible future—the camp in flames, Roman and Greek demigods lying dead. And Gaea..." Her voice failed her.
"So Reyna takes the statue," Percy said. "And we continue on to Athens."
Leo shrugged. "Cool with me. But, uh, a few pesky logistical problems. We got what—two weeks until that Roman feast day when Gaea is supposed to rise?"
He plucked the strawberry from Hina, popping it in his mouth.
"The Feast of Spes," Jason said. "That's on the first of August. Today is—"
"July eighteenth," Frank offered. "So, yeah, from tomorrow, exactly fourteen days."
Hazel winced. "It took us eighteen days to get from Rome to here—a trip that should've only taken two or three days, max."
"So, given our usual luck," Leo said, "maybe we have enough time to get the Argo II to Athens, find the giants, and stop them from waking Gaea. Maybe. But how is Reyna supposed to get this massive statue back to Camp Half-Blood before the Greeks and Romans put each other through the blender? She doesn't even have her pegasus anymore. Uh, sorry—"
"Fine," Reyna snapped. The Roman may have been on civil terms with the demigods but her distaste for Leo was evident. He'd blown up her city, albeit unintentionally.
Reyna took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, Leo is correct. I don't see how I can transport something so large. I was assuming—well, I was hoping you all would have an answer."
"The Labyrinth," Hazel said. "I—I mean, if Pasiphaë really has reopened it, and I think she has..." She looked at Percy apprehensively. "Well, you said the Labyrinth could take you anywhere. So maybe—"
"No." Percy and Annabeth spoke in unison.
"Not to shoot you down, Hazel," Percy said. "It's just..."
Hina watched Percy struggle, unable to explain his thoughts when no one else had seen the horrors of the maze.
"For one thing," he said, "the passages in the Labyrinth are way too small for the Athena Parthenos. There's no chance you could take it down there—"
"And even if the maze is reopening," Annabeth continued, "we don't know what it might be like now. It was dangerous enough before, under Daedalus's control, and he wasn't evil. If Pasiphaë has remade the Labyrinth the way she wanted..." She shook her head. "Hazel, maybe your underground senses could guide Reyna through, but no one else would stand a chance. And we need you here. Besides, if you got lost down there—"
"You're right," Hazel said glumly. "Never mind."
Reyna cast her eyes around the group. "Other ideas?"
"I could go," Frank offered, not sounding very happy about it. "If I'm a praetor, I should go. Maybe we could rig some sort of sled, or—"
"No, Frank Zhang." Reyna gave him a weary smile. "I hope we will work side by side in the future, but for now your place is with the crew of this ship. You are one of the eight of the prophecy."
"I'm not," Nico said.
Hina's head snapped towards the son of Hades. He was munching on his pomegranate seeds casually. He looked the most relaxed he'd been since Hina met him.
Hazel set down her fork. "Nico—"
"I'll go with Reyna," he said. "I can transport the statue with shadow-travel."
"Uh..." Percy raised his hand. "I mean, I know you just got all eight of us to the surface, and that was awesome. But a year ago you said transporting just yourself was dangerous and unpredictable. A couple of times you ended up in China. Transporting a forty-foot statue and two people halfway across the world—"
"I've changed since I came back from Tartarus." Nico's eyes glittered with anger. Hina could sense the defiance in Nico's gaze.
"Nico," Jason intervened, "we're not questioning your power. We just want to make sure you don't kill yourself trying."
"I can do it," he insisted. "I'll make short jumps—a few hundred miles each time. It's true, after each jump I won't be in any shape to fend off monsters. I'll need Reyna to defend me and the statue."
Reyna's poker face was award winning. She glanced around the group, searching their eyes for their thoughts without giving away any of her own. "Any objections?"
No one spoke.
"Very well," she said, with the finality of a judge. "I see no better option. But there will be many monster attacks. I would feel better taking a third person. That's the optimal number for a quest."
"Coach Hedge," Frank blurted.
Percy stared at him. "Uh, what, Frank?"
"The coach is the best choice," Frank said. "The only choice. He's a good fighter. He's a certified protector. He'll get the job done."
"A faun," Reyna said.
"Satyr!" barked the coach. "And, yeah, I'll go. Besides, when you get to Camp Half-Blood, you'll need somebody with connections and diplomatic skills to keep the Greeks from attacking you. Just let me go make a call—er, I mean, get my baseball bat."
Hedge shot Frank a thankful glance, and skipped off. Hina wasn't sure what had happened between the two but she assumed it had something to do with the satyr's odd behavior.
Nico rose. "I should go, too, and rest before the first passage. We'll meet at the statue at sunset."
Once he was gone, Hazel frowned. "He's acting strangely. I'm not sure he's thinking this through."
"He'll be okay," Jason said.
"I hope you're right." She passed her hand over the ground. Diamonds broke the surface—a glittering milky way of stones. "We're at another crossroads. The Athena Parthenos goes west. The Argo II goes east. I hope we chose correctly."
"We did," Hina promised, her eyes stormy as she thought of what was ahead of them.
They were willingly heading to Gaea's forces. After everything they'd done, they were no closer to defeating Gaea.
"One thing bothers me," Percy said. "If the Feast of Spes is in two weeks, and Gaea needs the blood of two demigods to wake—what did Clytius call it? The blood of Olympus?—then aren't we doing exactly what Gaea wants, heading to Athens? If we don't go, and she can't sacrifice any of us, doesn't that mean she can't wake up fully?"
Annabeth took his hand.
"Percy, prophecies cut both ways," she said. "If we don't go, we may lose our best and only chance to stop her. Athens is where our battle lies. We can't avoid it. Besides, trying to thwart prophecies never works. Gaea could capture us somewhere else, or spill the blood of some other demigods."
"Yeah, you're right," Percy said. "I don't like it, but you're right."
The mood of the group became as gloomy, until Piper broke the tension.
"Well!" She sheathed her blade and patted her cornucopia. "Good picnic. Who wants dessert?"
Everyone agreed eagerly but Hina shook her head. "I need to get some air."
It was probably the worst excuse Hina had ever used, considering they sat in an open field. She retreated inside her room on the Argo II, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
She had no clue how long she'd been fighting the Fates. Her eyes were sunken and her complexion was so pale it rivaled Nico's skin. Makeshift stitches jaggedly lined her neck, making her look like a reject Frankenstein.
Worse, was the haunted knowledge in her eyes. Hina had escaped death by her father's intervention, but she didn't want to. Hina accepted her fate for once and had been ready to die.
That thought destroyed her. How could she have been so ready to die when her friends still needed her?
Footsteps entered the room and she saw Leo in the mirror before he spoke. "Ina."
Hina turned to face Leo, watching his face fall as he took her in.
"This is yours," he managed, letting the golden chain dangle from his hand.
It was Hina's necklace. The harpies had taken it from her and she'd forgotten after everything else. It was scratched and barely recognizable. Leo dropped the necklace in Hina's hand and she avoided his gaze. She fumbled with the clasp, her fingers too shaky to latch the necklace around her neck.
Leo's warm hands brushed her neck gently, securing the chain. He didn't move, his hands still resting around her neck.
Hina finally met his eyes. Looking up at Leo, Hina remembered everything she loved about him. His crooked grin, the mischievous gleam in his eyes, the curls of soft hair framing his face. Most importantly, his heart of gold, his sense of humor to break through the darkness, and his ability to make Hina feel like she was all that mattered.
Hina finally broke down, letting tears run down her cheeks, stinging the cuts. "I was ready to die," she admitted through her tears. "I told them I would die for you and you left me and fell in love with someone else. I was alone. They- I watched them cut my string."
All the events from the past five days flooded back to her in a clustered mess.
Leo wrapped his arms around Hina's waist in a hug. He'd done it countless times, but part of it seemed foreign to Hina.
There was a shift between them, neither quite the same as before.
"I love you."
The three words sent a shock wave through Hina's body. Her knees buckled and she would have fallen if Leo had let go of her.
"What?" she asked weakly.
"I love you, Hina Ito, no one else."
She wanted to smile back, and wrap her arms around him, but Hina frowned.
"How are you so sure? You've fallen head over heels for every single girl we've met. Khione, Thalia, Hazel, now Calypso. How do I know you won't go off and find someone better?"
His smile faltered. "Because- because, gods why am I so bad at this?" Leo groaned, his face red. "You make me happier than all those girls combined. Khione and Thalia were stupid attempts to see if you'd be jealous, to see if you liked me. Hazel wasn't- I didn't like her like that."
"And Calypso?" Hina asked hesitantly. No one could deny the love sick look in his eyes when they had found him after his disappearance. Whether or not any of the other girls had meant anything to him, Calypso had.
"She was perfect, but she wasn't you, Ina. Really, I mean it!
She was what I thought I wanted, she knew how to do all these specialty engineering techniques, she liked the same things I did. But it made me realize, I don't need to find another me. Ina, I like you because you listen to me ramble for hours even though you barely understand anything I'm saying. And you try so hard to learn about the things I do- like learning how to fly the Argo or helping me with repairs, even if you're horrible with power tools.
I think Calypso was the gods' way of showing me that you were all I needed, seeing you at the House of Hades sent this realization through me: I can't live without you."
Hina smiled a genuine smile for the first time since meeting the Fates. "I love you too, Leo."
She let her head fall to rest on his shoulder and everything felt like it would be okay. her eyes closed, exhaustion overtaking her body.
"Is that my shirt?" Leo asked, wrinkling his brow. Hina shushed him, savoring the moment.
Festus creaked over the loud speaker.
"Time to set sail!"
Leo stood at the helm with Hina leaning against him, watching the sky morph from blue to orange as the sun set.
Percy stood on the hill they'd eaten on earlier, having watched Nico, Reyna, and Hedge set off on their own mission.
Grinning, Leo pulled the microphone close to his face, turning on the loud speaker.
"All aboard, kids! Uncle Leo and Auntie Ina are taking you on a trip!"