CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
—dumb goats
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—THROUGH breakfast the next day, Judith kept her eyes from straying to Percy across the way, instead choosing to stab at her scrambled eggs like they'd wronged her. She didn't want know his answer before she was ready to hear it; didn't want to see him give up everything in just one look. She'd given a portion of her meal to the Titan Styx, goddess of the river, with the hopes that she'd have some type of mercy when dealing with the son of Poseidon ... whenever he chose to deal with things ( if he chose to deal with them ). Hopefully she liked bacon.
Clarisse was busy conspiring with the rest of their cabin, making sure everyone knew that they would not be lending out help of any kind to the camp's efforts. Ellis seemed apprehensive about following his sister's orders, sending a look Judith's way that blatantly asked — are you going to do something about this?
Judith just shook her head and finished off her plate. Ellis had been closer with Maya Brown than the rest of them and had been most effected over her loss during the Battle of the Labyritnh. It was only reasonable that he would want revenge on Kronos and his army, so to hear Clarisse tell him to stand down was giving him some sort of stress. He voiced his opinion, despite Judith's obvious glare to not push their head leader to the brink of murder. "So we're just going to sit here and expect everyone else to fight this war without us?"
Just as Judith suspected, Clarisse fumed with clenched fists. "You got a problem with that, Ellis?"
"I do, actually. Maya died fighting those monsters and I intend to avenge that. I thought you'd do the same," he returned. "She deserves more than this."
Clarisse slammed her fork on the table. "No! We deserve more than this! All we've ever done is come at their beck and call, and for what? I won't lose any more of you to a war where we gain nothing."
"That's what you care about?" Judith suddenly joined. "You're keeping them from a fight all because you think we won't benefit? Look around, Clarisse! This is home, our home! That should be reason enough to stand with everyone else. We gain nothing from staying out of it, anyway, so what does it matter?!"
With that, she got up from her bench and flew out of the pavilion, fully expecting Percy Jackson to follow her in her wake without having to look at him. If Clarisse wanted to be stupid and sit back, then Judith wouldn't stop her, but that didn't mean she could drag the rest of their siblings down as well. The problem was her siblings wouldn't go against Clarisse, afraid of whatever threat she'd given them. Ellis would fight it to his last breath, but in the end, he would stay with his family, on the battlefield or not.
Judith headed straight to the sword arena, knowing full well that people avoided it nowadays because of Mrs. O'Leary. The hellhound refused to reside anywhere else as it had the most remnants of Quintus — or Daedalus ( whatever ). Judith felt for her, but at the same time, taking care of all the hellhound's needs throughout the school year by herself had been — well, hell.
Percy tailed her, keeping a safe distance while she cooled down. Everyone in the mess area had seen the argument go down, had seen Judith outright defy her sister. While the boy appreciated her loyalty to the cause, he couldn't help but think that it was tearing her family apart. No one deserved that, no matter how dysfunctional they were.
Percy stopped at the threshold of the arena, looking in with growing amusement at the scene in front of him. Judith was scolding Mrs. O'Leary with flailing arms, oblivious to her entertained audience.
"That was my favorite dummy!" Judith complained, seeing the torn up mannequin littered around the floor. "I told you, you could have all of them except for that one! Spoiled mutt," she muttered angrily. Mrs. O'Leary growled playfully before tackling the girl to the ground, licking up her cheek. Judith shrieked in disgust before shoving the hellhound off of her.
Seeing Judith get increasingly worked up, Percy intervened with a sharp whistle. The big dog snapped her attention to the boy and went rumbling over, excitedly nudging him. "Yeah, yeah," he laughed, "Mom's a mean one, huh? No fun."
Judith paused in her furious wiping to scowl at Percy. "Mo — what — Percy! I am not her mom."
The boy smirked. "Could have fooled me. You took care of her by yourself for a few months and now she's attached."
"I was the babysitter," Judith snapped. "One who didn't get paid, by the way."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that basically what a mom is?"
"Oh, the disrespect your mom must feel. I am not her mother." Judith repeated again, crossing her arms.
"Fine, fine." Percy held his hands up in surrender, though when he looked back down at the hellhound, he whispered, "Mom still loves you."
"I heard that, Jackson."
Percy only smirked to himself, scratching Mrs. O'Leary begins the ears, "Do you think she's married? I mean, she goes by Mrs." Judith gave him an incredulous look, clearly not as concerned about the hellhound's relationship status. Looking back down at the dog, he asked, "Is there a Mr. O'Leary, huh? Do you miss him?"
"Percy, just — oh, my gods." The daughter of Ares pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can we talk about more important things?"
Avoiding the inevitable, Percy shrugged. "This is pretty important, I would say. What if we're keeping her from her true love?"
"We're not keeping her anywhere," Judith sighed. "She's free to go wherever she pleases, she just decides to stay here. Now, seriously."
"Alright," he breathed, settling down finally by turning to her.
"Good. So ... I gave you the night to sleep on it," She started. "Did you?"
The boy was silent, debating on whether he should evade this topic again or face it head on. The choice he favored was not one she would be happy with, and the one she preferred was a lot weightier than he liked to deal with at nine in the morning. But he decided, it was now or never. "I did."
Judith didn't say anything, waiting for him to expand.
"I'll do it. If I'm going to be facing Kronos, I need to make sure the playing field is as even as I can get it."
The relief that Judith felt couldn't be tamed. What she had been feeling before: the anger and frustration over her sister, the anxiety over what Percy would say, it was all wiped away in an instant. Her heart ceased its assault against her rib cage, her muscles relaxed, and her hands unclenched. She was in front of Percy within a second, finding her arms around him without another thought.
"You'll do it," she echoed quietly and felt his arms wind around her as well.
"Yeah, I will. You doubted me?" He just had to joke, knowing she'd been trying to chip away at him for the better part of a year.
Judith scowled and pulled back, placing a well-aimed punch to his arm. "I hate you."
"Sorry, sorry," he chuckled, rubbing his bicep. "All in good fun. So, now that you've got me where you want me ... What's next?"
"Nico. He has a plan laid out," she explained.
"We can go Iris-message him." Percy made to leave, but Judith stopped him with a pull on his wrist.
"We can't Iris-message anything out of camp. The communications are being monitored because of the spy." Judith smiled slyly. "But there is another way."
Percy's eyes narrowed in confusion, but he blinked as the girl stepped back and touched the ground with her fingers, eyes closed. There was a slight rumble of the ground, the dust jumping around, before a skeleton hand was popping out of a newly made crevice in the ground. As the arm continued to sprout, Percy noticed the old style military clothing that no longer fit correctly, hanging loose on its frame. Judith breathed a sigh of exhaustion, falling forward on both hands as the dead guy pulled its final foot out of the ground.
The boy could only stare at it in hesitation, noticing the musket slung dangerously on its shoulder blades, wondering if it was still functional and lethal. The sunken eye sockets of what he supposed was a soldier stared back at him blankly and Percy leaned over to a hunched Judith with a grimace, "Uh, who is that?"
"I don't know his name, Percy," she sighed. "He's from the Red Cloud's War from 1866. Find Nico di Angelo and tell him to come to camp." The soldier only nodded once, its jaw rattling hauntingly before descending back into the earth from where it came, hopefully to do its job. Judith stood to her feet, swaying slightly and Percy helped her stand upright. "That ability isn't really my expertise."
"I can see that," the boy concurred. "You've done it before?"
"Just while you were gone for school. It was the only way Nico wanted to be contacted," she explained. "I also tried sending Mrs. O'Leary with letters over the shadow travel, but she gets sidetracked too easily." Judith turned to the mutt. "Very unreliable."
Again, Percy took the side of the hellhound and scratched her behind the ears comfortingly, "Don't listen to her. You make a fine messenger."
The hellhound's tongue rolled out in pleasure, her foot stomping the ground as Percy reached a certain spot on her head. Judith rolled her eyes, "You spoil her."
"Well, someone's got to," he muttered. "She's got a mean old witch for a mothe—babysitter."
Judith scowled as he corrected himself. She didn't mind behind called a mean old witch; when it came to the dog, she had to be strict or else Mrs. O'Leary would lose her obedience — like, she'd already torn up Judith's favorite dummy!
"You're infuriating," Judith said, walking past him. She beckoned him to follow. "Come on, Nico can't be summoned here. Bring Mrs. O'Leary."
"Why do we need her?" Percy asked, though he obliged to her demands.
"First of all, she needs her walk; you'd know that if you took care of her regularly, instead of just playing fetch with her." The boy, just about to throw a stray shield like a frisbee, put it down dramatically. "And as for the other reasons ... you'll see."
Percy groaned in aggravation, "Why do people say that? Like, why all the suspense?"
Judith only glanced over her shoulder, "Trust me, you'll have to see it to believe it."
She could hear the boy grumbling in displeasure, but it was ignored as they walked out into the woods and to an eventual clearing that her and Nico had designated as their meeting place. It had the least amount of dryads and was far enough from camp where no passer-by could overhear and defile their plans.
Mrs. O'Leary, knowing exactly what it meant when they stopped here, starting scouting the perimeter for Nico with excitement. Judith knew they would have a few minutes, the zombie she'd used was slower than usual. Normally, it was Nico who send the ghost or zombie to warm her he was stopping by, often times catching her at an awkward moment around her siblings. They hadn't questioned it, but she could tell they were wary of her involvement with the son of Hades.
Percy leaned against a tree with crossed arms, waiting for something — he wasn't sure what, but he hoped it happened soon. He was getting jittery with nerves as they sat in silence. A sudden rustle of the bushes caused them both to stand with alertness, hands on their baldes.
Mrs. O'Leary didn't bark or growl, however, so they settled after a second. With another rustle of the shrubs, Juniper came stumbling into the clearing with a fat old satyr behind her, a member of the Council of Cloven Elders. Judith, although annoyed with the interruption and intrusion on her clearing, was just grateful the satyr wasn't Silenus ( she hated that guy ). The hellhound bounded up to them to sniff them and yap and they recoiled in fear. After realizing the big dog wouldn't tackle them, they looked back at the demigods.
"Oh, Judith! Percy! I knew I'd find you here!" Juniper cried as she ran up to them, leaves falling in her wake.
"Juniper, what's wrong?" Percy asked. The tree nymph was a blubbering mess and green tears were falling down her cheeks.
But before she could answer, the fat old satyr yowled as Mrs. O'Leary slobbered on his furry hooves, "Will someone — what is this underworld creature doing in my forest!" He waved his arms and trotted on his hooves as if the grass were hot. "You there, Percy Jackson! Is this your beast?"
"Sorry, Leneus," the boy apologized, though he looked anything but sorry. "That's your name, right?"
The satyr rolled his eyes with contempt. "Well, of course I'm Leneus. Don't tell me you've forgotten a member of the Council so quickly. Now, call off your beast!"
Mrs. O'Leary barked happily, delighted to be called a beast.
The old satyr gulped. "Make it go away! Juniper, I will not help you under these circumstances!"
Juniper turned to them with a sad and faraway look in her eyes. "Percy, Judith," she sniffled. "I was just asking about Grover. I know something's happened. He wouldn't stay gone this long if he wasn't in trouble. I was hoping that Leneus —"
"I told you!" the satyr protested. "You are better off without that traitor."
Juniper stamped her foot. "He is not a traitor! He's the bravest satyr ever, and I want to know where he is!"
Mrs. O'Leary barked again, wagging her tail animatedly and Leneus's knees started knocking. "I ... I won't answer questions with this hellhound sniffing my tail!"
Judith rolled her eyes and whistles, drawing the hellhound to her side, "Go look for Nico." The dog seemed to understand well enough and bounded out of the grove with enthusiasm.
Leneus huffed indignantly and brushed the twigs off his shirt. "Now, as I was trying to explain, young lady, your boyfriend has not sent any reports since we voted him into exile."
"You tried to vote him into exile," Percy corrected. "Chiron and Dionysus stopped you."
Judith smirked at his attitude and watched with amusement as Leneus bristled, "Bah! They are honorary Council members. It wasn't a proper vote."
"I'll tell Dionysus you said that."
Leneus paled. "I only meant ... Now see here, Jackson. This is none of your business."
"You're an old oaf just like Silenus," Judith cursed, stepping up to the old goat threateningly. She could feel Percy's hands clench at the fabric of her shirt, but didn't let it sway her from what she wanted to say. "Seven of us were there when Pan passed on and yet you still choose to refuse and acknowledge the truth because it'll put you out of your precious job."
Leneus's lips quivered in trembling anger and fear. "No! Grover's a liar and good riddance. We're better off without him."
Percy finally released his hold on Judith and pointed at the withered thrones. "If things are going so well, where are your friends? Looks like your Council hasn't been meeting lately."
"Maron and Silenus ... I ... I'm sure they'll be back," he said, but they could hear the panic in his voice. "They're just taking some time off to think. It's been a very unsettling year."
"It's going to get a lot more unsettling," Percy promised. "Leneus, we need Grover. There's got to be a way you can find him with your magic."
The old satyr's eye twitched. "I'm telling you, I've heard nothing. Perhaps he's dead."
Juniper choked back a sob and Judith groaned at the satyr's insensitivity. If there was one thing Judith hated dealing with, it was crying.
"He's not dead," the son of Poseidon contradicted. "I can feel that much."
"Empathy links," Leneus said disdainfully. "Very unreliable."
"So ask around," Percy insisted. "Find him. There's a war coming. Grover was preparing the nature spirits."
"Without my permission! And it's not our war."
Judith, about to rip into him about the war and what it would mean for everyone on the planet, was cut off by Percy himself. The boy stepped in front of her and grabbed the goat by the collar of his shirt, getting in his face as the shadows passed over his eyes. The daughter of Ares stepped back to watch the scene, finding herself examining more than listening. She could feel her Odikinesis running wild, pumping blood through her at a million miles an hour, but she knew Percy was acting of his own free will, his own fueled anger, something that made Judith almost awestruck.
"Listen, Leneus," he hissed darkly, shoulders tensed with ferocity. "When Kronos attacks, he's going to have packs of hellhounds. He's going to destroy everything in his path — mortals, gods, demigods. Do you think he'll let the satyrs go free? You're supposed to be a leader. So LEAD. Get out there and see what's happening. Find Grover and bring Juniper some news. Now, GO!" Percy then pushed him away, making the satyr land on his rump.
Leneus scrambled to his hooves and ran away with his shaking form, "Grover will never be accepted! He will die an outcast!"
Percy made to dash after the goat, but Judith latched onto his arm and forced him to stop. "Percy," she breathed, saying nothing else. She was unsure where her mercy had come, but she felt as if someone had to be the rock. In a sense, their roles had been reversed, and instead of Percy holding her back, she was holding him back from something he'd inevitably regret.
He blinked and finally let his shoulders drop. The boy looked at her curiously and she knew just what he was asking her — was that you?
She shook her head slowly, her eyes still marred with disbelief as he came back down from his bout of fury. It didn't scare her, it was just ... new, but at the same time, Judith couldn't help but feel that it was a long time coming. The world was turning darker by the minute, and the only way to fight it would require something equally as dark.
He deflated a little, but didn't let it show on his face as he turned back to Juniper. She dabbed at her eyes, clearing up the green tears, "I'm sorry, Percy. I didn't mean to get you involved. Leneus is still a lord of the Wild. You don't want to make an enemy of him."
"No problem," Percy said, although Judith could see he was still trying to work through what he'd just done. "I've got worse enemies than overweight satyrs."
They all turned at the voice of a newcomer, seeing Nico led by an ecstatic Mrs. O'Leary, "Good job, Percy. Judging from the trail of goat pellets, I'd say you shook that guy up pretty well."
He stood by Judith and briefly looked up at her for a moment as if for an answer. Judith mutely nodded once and an imperceptible smile flickered on his lips.
Juniper brightened at the sight of him, "Nico, you are the son of Hades and all. Have you heard anything about Grover?" Judith remembered when she had asked that a month or so ago on one of his visits.
Nico shifted his weight, "Juniper, like I tried to tell you ... even if Grover died, he would reincarnate into something else in nature. I can't sense things like that, only mortal souls."
"But if you do hear anything?" she pleaded, putting her hand on his arm. "Anything at all?"
Nico looked down at her hand with something akin to embarrassment. "Uh, you bet. I'll keep my ears open."
"Juniper, you'll be one of the first to know," Judith reassured her.
"We'll find him," Percy promised. "Grover's alive, I'm sure. There must be a simple reason why he hasn't contacted us."
She nodded glumly. "I hate not being able to leave the forest. He could be anywhere, and I'm stuck here waiting. Oh, if that silly goat has gotten himself hurt —"
Mrs. O'Leary bounded over to her, sensing her distress and sniffed at her dress curiously with a whimper.
Juniper yelped. "Oh, no you don't! I know about dogs and trees. I'm gone!"
She disappeared in a puff of green mist and the hellhound looked disappointed, but she lumbered off to find another target, leaving the demigods alone. Nico tapped his sword on the ground and a tiny mound of animal bones erupted from the dirt. They knit themselves together into a skeletal field mouse and scampered off. "I was sorry to hear about Beckendorf."
Judith knew exactly how he had found out and felt her head go fuzzy.
Percy swallowed. "How did you —"
"I talked to his ghost."
"Oh ... right," Percy muttered. "Did he say anything?"
"He doesn't blame you. He figured you'd be beating yourself up, and he said you shouldn't."
Judith, ignoring the numb feeling in her head, looked up from the ground, "Is he going to try for rebirth?"
Nico shook his head. "He's staying in Elysium. Said he's waiting for someone. Not sure what he meant, but he seems okay with death."
Judith's breath hitched as she thought of Silena. They had loved each other so much; even Judith, the girl who couldn't spot positive feelings that were right in front of her, could see it.
"I had a vision you were on Mount Tarn," Percy told Nico. "Was that —"
"Real," he said.
"You didn't say anything about spying on the Titans," Judith interjected.
"I didn't plan on it," he reconciled, "but I was in the neighborhood."
"Doing what?" Percy asked curiously. Judith hadn't told him what exactly Nico got up to in his free time; Percy hadn't been all that concerned for the boy after he had proposed the whole deal.
Nico tugged at his sword belt awkwardly. "Following a lead on ... you know, my family."
By the look on his face, Judith could guess that he hadn't found any more leads since the last time he'd mentioned it.
"Anyway, I was summoned by some dead white soldier for something more important than small talk, I assume," Nico announced clearly.
Judith, at this point, was afraid Percy would change his mind and go running back to camp, so she held tight to his arm, but he never strayed. In fact, it felt like he got closer, like he was standing by his decision by staying with her.
"I heard you've got a plan," Percy said.
"I do. But it has to be a full commitment, are you sure you want to do this?" Nico asked, testing the waters. Again, Judith's hands tightened on his sleeve.
He looked back towards camp, back to his escape. Judith stepped ever closer to talk to him more, hoping she could bring forth a side of him that was selfish for once — a side of him that went against his very being. "Percy, there's only so much that we can do against a Titan and an army. We're strong, but they're stronger. And in the end, it all comes down to you and Luke. There's only one way you can beat Luke and come out alive. And you will come out alive, if I have anything to say about it."
He looked down at her, his green eyes calculating every word she said, committing them to memory. "And there's no way to wait and see if we'll even need it?"
Nico took a deep breath. "When the fighting starts, we won't be able to make the journey. This is our last chance. I'm sorry if we're being too pushy, but two years ago my sister gave her life to protect you. I want you to honor that. Do whatever it takes to stay alive and defeat Kronos."
Judith could feel the shift in the air. Mentioning Bianca had been the last straw that Percy needed. Nico had never expressly told Judith that she was one of the main reasons he wanted this for Percy so bad, but she had figured it out.
"All right," Percy decided. "What do we do first?"
Nico gave a cold and creepy smile. "First we'll need to retrace Luke's steps. We need to see a few things from his childhood."
"Did you find her address?" Judith asked.
The boy nodded. "I tracked down his mother. She lives in Connecticut."
"Luke ran away when he was really young," Percy said, confused. "I didn't think his mom was alive."
"Oh, she's alive." The way he said it made Judith think he'd already met her.
"Okay ... " Percy said. "So how do we get to Connecticut? I can call Blackjack —"
"No," Judith stopped him. "This is why we brought Mrs. O'Leary out here." She whistled and beckoned the hellhound over.
"Your friend here can help." Nico affirmed. "You haven't tried shadow travel yet?"
"Shadow travel?"
Nico whispered in Mrs. O'Leary's ear. She tilted her head, suddenly alert.
"Hop on board," Nico told them.
Judith waited for Percy to get on first, still taking precautions to make sure he didn't run off. She wanted to trust that he wouldn't, but there was a part of her that knew they were asking a lot of him, and he could get cold feet. She would risk it, not when they were so close. The son of Poseidon climbed onto her back and held her collar. Judith hopped on behind him, hesitating before wrapping her arm around Percy's stomach.
"This will make her very tired," Nico warned, "so you can't do it often. And it works best at night. But all shadows are part of the same substance. There is only one darkness, and creatures of the Underworld can use it as a road, or a door."
"I don't understand," Percy said.
"No," Nico said. "It took me a long time to learn. But Mrs. O'Leary knows. Tell her where to go. Tell her Westport, the home of May Castellan."
"You're not coming?"
"Don't worry," he said. "I'll meet you there."
Percy looked over his shoulder to give her a look — is he crazy? She only urged him on with a nod of her head and he sighed before leaning down to Mrs. O'Leary's ear. "Okay, girl. Uh, can you take us to Westport, Connecticut? May Castellan's place?"
Mrs. O'Leary sniffed the air. She looked into the gloom of the forest. Then she bounded forward, picking up a pace that whipped at Judith's skin. The girl pressed her head into Percy's back just as they went sprinting into an oak tree, enveloped in shade.
Just before they hit, they passed into the shadows as cold as the dark side of the moon.
NOTES;
ANOTHER CHAPTER. AND NOW WE'VE GOT AGREEABILITY, FINALLY
ALRIGHT, SO JUDITH IS GOING WITH THEM, THAT WILL CHANGE UP THE STORY A LOT. GIVE ME YOUR THEORIES, I LOVE HEARING THEM
ALSO I THOUGHT I WOULD GIVE YOU GUYS A GLIMPSE OF WHAT THE ARES CABIN LOOKS LIKE FOR ME
WILLOW SMITH AS
—JUDITH SLOANE
LINDSEY SHAW AS
—CLARISSE LA RUE
DACRE MONTGOMERY AS
—ELLIS WAKEFIELD
YANG YANG AS
—SHERMAN YANG
DIEGO TINOCO AS
—MARK DIAZ