chapter fifty-eight

─── one good thing about hitting rock bottom, is it can't get worse

          𝕴 drove the truck we found at the edge of the dump, as I was minorly less shocked than the others.

"The skeletons are still out there," I murmured softly, glancing over at Zoe. She was sitting in the front with me, whilst Brooke and Grover sat in the back, still shell shocked. "We need to keep moving."

The little figurine that had cost Bianca's life lay in my pocket, a heavy weight compared to my other burdens.

"It should have been me, not her," Zoe murmured, her feet on the dash as she shook her head. "I was the eldest Huntress, it should have been me."

"Keep saying stupid things like that and I'll punch you," I shot her a glare. "It shouldn't have been you. You were nowhere close."

"It shouldn't have been you either," Zoe countered before I could become self depreciating. "It shouldn't have been any of us."

"I hate quests,"

"Why did you come then?" Zoe asked. "You don't like quests. I remember how you were after the quest..."

"We don't talk about that quest," I replied.

"Then why are you here?"

"Andi and Annabeth need me," I shrugged, the scar across my face twinging as I drummed my finger, "and I'm the oldest at camp. It's my job to make sure that all of the others stay safe."

"You're not the camp leader. That's Chiron and Mr. D's job,"

"They're immortal beings," I shook my head. "They forget how many years pass in a mortal life half the time, and they don't truly care for us. We're just heroes to train and then forget. We're not that important."

"Chiron made it sound like Andromeda was pretty important,"

"She's the daughter of Poseidon. The first daughter of Poseidon in years, so of course they believe that. The rest of us are just children of gods. We've had hundreds of siblings before us and after us, so we're not all that special," Zoe sighed at my ranting, glancing over at me.

"You changed after that quest,"

"I was mauled by a dragon. I think that would change anyone," I sighed, before shaking my head. "Look, I don't want to talk about it. I just want to go, get Andi, Annabeth and Artemis and get back to camp before Christmas. That's it."

The tow truck ran out of gas at the edge of a river canyon. That was just as well, because the road dead-ended.

Zoe got out and slammed the door. Immediately, one of the tires blew. "Great. What now?"

I scanned the horizon. There wasn't much to see. Desert in all directions, occasional clumps of barren mountains plopped here and there. The canyon was the only thing interesting. The river itself wasn't very big, maybe fifty yards across, green water with a few rapids, but it carved a huge scar out of the desert.

The rock cliffs dropped away below us.

"There's a path," Grover said. "We could get to the river."

I tried to see what he was talking about, and finally noticed a tiny ledge winding down the cliff face.

"That's a goat path," I said.

"So?" he asked.

"The rest of us aren't goats."

"We can make it," Grover said. "I think."

I thought about that. I'd done cliffs before, but I didn't like them and despite my flying shoes, I didn't really want to risk breaking my neck.

"No," I said. "I, uh, think we should go farther upstream."

Grover said, "But—"

"Come on," I said. "A walk won't hurt us."

We followed the river about half a mile before coming to an easier slope that led down to the water. On the shore was a canoe rental operation that was closed for the season, but I left a stack of notes on the counter and a note saying IOU two canoes .

"We need to go upstream," Zoe said, nodding. 

"Oh joy," I muttered. "Where's the daughter of Poseidon when you need her?"

"Leave it to me," Brooke nodded as we put the canoes in the water. She got to work quickly as the rest of us grabbed oars from the canoe shop. Once the daughter of Hecate was done, Zoe and I pushed the canoes into the water and we headed upstream at rather a rapid pace.

Naiads played around us in the water, spraying us and giggling as I rolled my eyes. I almost smiled, but my thoughts went back to Andi and I stopped. If she was here, she'd be spraying water back and laughing her head off, but instead I had Zoe reaching for a bow to attempt to shoot them.

"Whoa," I said, grabbing the bow from her hands. "They're just playing. No need for violence"

"Cursed water spirits. They've never forgiven me."

"Forgiven you for what?"

She slung her bow back over her shoulder, after snatching it from me. "It was a long time ago. Never mind."

We sped up the river, the cliffs looming up on either side of us, casting long shadows across the water and making everything colder, despite the sunny day. I shifted in the canoe, bringing Backbiter around until it rested no my knee so that I could trace the metal.

"I had a dream about you,"

"That's concerning," Zoe shot back. "Poor Andromeda."

"Here's an idea Zoe, maybe you need to take your mind out the gutter,"

"I'll take your brain out your head," I shot her the finger over my shoulder, hissing as she sprayed cold water at me. 

"Well, I was going to be nice, but I know see that it's not an option," She glared, and I knew that perhaps I shouldn't be trying purposefully to rile her up when both of us were still in slight shock from Bianca's death. "You made Andi's sword, Riptide."

"Is that a question or a statement,"

"Statement. I told you, weird dream,"

"Weird mortal," She muttered, before sighing. "It was a gift. And a mistake."

"Who was the hero?" I asked.

Zoe shook her head. "Do not make me say his name. I swore never to speak it again."

"So I know him."

"I am sure you do, hero. Don't all you boys want to be just like him?"

"Cryptic," I rolled my eyes. "Your mother, she was a water goddess, wasn't she?"

"Yes, Pleione. She had five daughters. My sisters and I. The Hesperides."

"Yeah, I know that part. Your pet dragon isn't friendly,"

"He is,"

"The scars on me beg to differ,"

"Ladon is nice, he just doesn't like men,"

"You sure he's not your long lost sibling then?" She threw more water at the back of my head as I laughed to myself. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. No need to get annoyed."

"I hate heroes. They always think that they're funny, but you're not funny,"

"Andi laughs at my jokes,"

"Poor Andromeda has to laugh at your jokes because she's dating you,"

"Burn," I turned around to glare at Grover and Brooke, who both went back to looking very interested in their canoe.

"At least I have a sense of humour. Did you leave yours with your dragon?"

"No, I lost it when an idiot hero took the credit for all of my hardwork, like men always do," Zoe sneered, sticking her tongue out.

"I feel like that's a-"

"Oh look, the Hoover Dam," Brooke interrupted mine and Zoe's bickering. "It's huge."

"That's what she said," I muttered to myself, before cursing. Andi had been rubbing off on me.

We stood at the river's edge, looking up at a curve of concrete that loomed between the cliffs. People were walking along the top of the dam. They were so tiny they looked like fleas.

"Seven hundred feet tall," I said, listing off Annabeth's facts. She told me about this so many times, telling me how much of a marvel it was and, despite my lack of knowledge of architecture, I'd listened. "Built in the 1930s."

"Five million cubic acres of water," Brooke said..

Graver sighed. "Largest construction project in the United States."

Zoe stared at us. "How do you know all that?"

"Annabeth," I said. "She liked architecture. Loves to talk about national monuments."

"Spouted facts all the time." Grover sniffled. "So annoying."

"I wish she were here," I said.

The others nodded. Zoe was still looking at us strangely, but I didn't care. It seemed like cruel fate that we'd come to Hoover Dam, one of Annabeth's personal favourites, and she wasn't here to see it.

"We should go up there," I said. "For her sake. Just to say we've been."

"You are mad," Zoe decided. "But that's where the road is." She pointed to a huge parking garage next to the top of the dam. "And so, sightseeing it is."

We had to walk for almost an hour before we found a path that led up to the road. It came up on the east side of the river. Then we straggled back toward the dam. It was cold and windy on top. On one side, a big lake spread out, ringed by barren desert mountains. On the other side, the dam dropped away down to the river seven hundred feet below, and water that churned from the dam's vents.

Brooke and I walked together, quietly reading the leaflet as Grover kept sniffing the wind and looking nervous. He didn't say anything, but I knew he smelled monsters.

"How close are they?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Maybe not close. The wind on the dam, the desert all around us... the scent can probably carry for miles. But it's coming from several directions. I don't like that."

I didn't either. It was already Wednesday, only two days until winter solstice, and we still had a long way to go. We didn't need any more monsters,

"There's a snack bar in the visitor centre," Brooke muttered.

"You've been here before?" I asked.

"Once. My dad took me when I was younger," Brooke shrugged. "One of the last trips we did actually, you know, before I came to camp and everything went a bit crazy. You been here before?"

"Once. With Thalia to see the guardians. It was before we found Annabeth," I pointed at the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two big bronze statues. "They were dedicated to Zeus, as a gift from Athena, when the dam was built."

Tourists were clustered all around them. They seemed to be looking at the statues' feet.

"What are they doing?" Brooke asked.

"Rubbing the toes," I replied. "They think it's good luck."

"Why?"

"They don't know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there's something special about them."

"Let us find the dam snack bar," Zoe interrupted the conversation, stomping back over. "We should eat while we can."

Grover cracked a smile. "The dam snack bar?"

Zoe blinked. "Yes. What is funny?"

"Nothing," Grover said, trying to keep a straight face. "I could use some dam French fries."

Even I smiled at that. "And I need to use the dam restroom."

Maybe it was the fact that we were so tired and strung out emotionally, but I started cracking up, and Brooke and Grover joined in, while Zoe just looked at us. "I do not understand."

"I want to use the dam water fountain," Grover said.

"And..." Brooke tried to catch her breath. "I want to buy a dam T-shirt."

I busted up, and I probably would've kept laughing all day, but then I heard a noise: "Moooo."

The smile melted off my face. I wondered if the noise was just in my head, but Grover had stopped laughing too. He was looking around, confused. "Did I just hear a cow?"

"A dam cow?" Brooke laughed.

"No," Grover said. "I'm serious."

Zoe listened. "I hear nothing."

Brooke was looking at me. "Luke, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said. "You guys go ahead. I'll be right in."

"What's wrong?" Grover asked.

"Nothing," I said. "I...I just need a minute. To think."

They hesitated, but I guess I must've looked upset, because they finally went into the visitor centre without me. As soon as they were gone, I jogged to the north edge of the dam and looked over.

"Moo."

She was about thirty feet below in the lake, but I could see her clearly: my friend from Long Island Sound, Bessie the cow serpent.

I looked around. There were groups of kids running along the dam. A lot of senior citizens. Some families. But nobody seemed to be paying Bessie any attention yet.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"Moo!"

Her voice was urgent, like she was trying to warn me of something.

"How did you get here?" I asked. We were thousands of miles from Long Island, hundreds of miles inland. There was no way she could've swum all the way here. And yet, here she was.

Bessie swam in a circle and butted her head against the side of the dam. "Moo!"

She wanted me to come with her. She was telling me to hurry.

"I can't," I told her. "My friends are inside."

She looked at me with her sad brown eyes. Then she gave one more urgent "Mooo!" did a flip, and disappeared into the water.

I hesitated. Something was wrong. She was trying to tell me that. I considered jumping over the side and following her, but then I tensed. The hairs on my arms bristled. I looked down the dam road to the east and I saw two men walking slowly toward me. They wore grey camouflage outfits that flickered over skeletal bodies.

They passed through a group of kids and pushed them aside. A kid yelled, "Hey!" One of the warriors turned, his face changing momentarily into a skull.

"Ah!" the kid yelled, and his whole group backed away.

"Fuck," I hissed. There were no kids around for me to watch my language.

I was almost to the stairs when I heard tires squeal. On the west side of the dam, a black van swerved to a stop in the middle of the road, nearly ploughing into some old people.

The van doors opened and more skeleton warriors piled out. I was surrounded.

I bolted down the stairs and through the museum entrance. The security guard at the metal detector yelled, "Hey, kid!" But I didn't stop.

I ran through the exhibits and ducked behind a tour group. I looked for my friends, but I couldn't see them anywhere. Where was the dam snack bar?

"Stop!" The metal-detector guy yelled.

There was no place to go but into an elevator with the tour group. I ducked inside just as the door closed.

"We'll be going down seven hundred feet," our tour guide said cheerfully. She was a park ranger, with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail and tinted glasses. I guess she hadn't noticed that I was being chased. "Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen, the elevator hardly ever breaks."

"Does this go to the snack bar?" I asked her.

A few people behind me chuckled. The tour guide looked at me. Something about her gaze made my skin tingle.

"To the turbines, young man," the lady said. "Weren't you listening to my fascinating presentation upstairs?"

"Oh, uh, sure. Is there another way out of the dam?"

"It's a dead end," a tourist behind me said. "For heaven's sake. The only way out is the other elevator."

The doors opened.

"Go right ahead, folks," the tour guide told us. "Another ranger is waiting for you at the end of the corridor."

I didn't have much choice but to go out with the group.

"And young man," the tour guide called. I looked back. She'd taken off her glasses. Her eyes were startlingly grey, like storm clouds. "There is always a way out for those clever enough to find it."

The doors closed with the tour guide still inside, leaving me alone.

Before I could think too much about the woman in the elevator, a ding came from around the corner. The second elevator was opening, and I heard an unmistakable sound—the clattering of skeleton teeth. 

I ran after the tour group, through a tunnel carved out of solid rock. It seemed to run forever. The walls were moist, and the air hummed with electricity and the roar of water. I came out on a U-shaped balcony that overlooked this huge warehouse area. Fifty feet below, enormous turbines were running. It was a big room, but I didn't see any other exit, unless I wanted to jump into the turbines and get churned up to make electricity. I didn't.

Another tour guide was talking over the microphone, telling the tourists about water supplies in Nevada. 

I prayed that Brooke, Zoe, and Grover were okay. They might already be captured, or eating at the snack bar, completely unaware that we were being surrounded. And stupid me: I had trapped myself in a hole hundreds of feet below the surface.

I worked my way around the crowd, trying not to be too obvious about it. There was a hallway at the other side of the balcony—maybe some place I could hide. I kept my hand on Backbiter, ready to strike.

By the time I got to the opposite side of the balcony, my nerves were shot. I backed into the little hallway and watched the tunnel I'd come from.

Then right behind me I heard a sharp Chhh! like the voice of a skeleton. Without thinking, I uncapped Backbiter and spun, slashing with my sword.

The girl I'd just tried to slice in half yelped and dropped her Kleenex.

"Oh my god.'" she shouted. "Do you always kill people when they blow their nose?"

The first thought in my head was thank god that I hadn't actually hit her, because I probably would have killed her. The second was; "Oh shit, you're a mortal."

She looked at me in disbelief. "What's that supposed to mean? Of course I'm mortal! How did you get that sword past security?"

"You can see it's a sword?"

The girl rolled her eyes, which were a startling green. She had frizzy reddish-brown hair. Her nose was also red, like she had a cold. She wore a big maroon Harvard sweatshirt and jeans that were covered with marker stains and little holes, like she spent her free time poking them with a fork.

"Well, it's either a sword or the biggest toothpick in the world," she said. "Who are you? And whoa, what is that you're wearing? Is that made of lion fur?"

She asked so many questions so fast, it was like she was throwing rocks at me. I couldn't think of what to say. I looked at my sleeves to see if the Nemean Lion pelt had somehow changed back to fur, but it still looked like a brown winter coat to me.

I knew the skeleton warriors were still chasing me. I had no time to waste. But I just stared at the redheaded girl, thinking about how screwed all of this now was. Just my luck that I almost killed a clear sighted mortal.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

She huffed indignantly. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Now, are you going to answer my questions or should I scream for security?"

"No!" I said. "I mean, I'm kind of in a hurry. I'm in trouble."

"In a hurry or in trouble?"

"Both."

She looked over my shoulder and her eyes widened. "Bathroom!"

"What?"

"Bathroom! Behind me! Now!"

I don't know why, but I listened to her. I slipped inside the boys' bathroom and left Rachel Elizabeth Dare standing outside. Later, that seemed cowardly to me. I'm also pretty sure it saved my life.

I heard the clattering, hissing sounds of skeletons as they came closer.

My grip tightened on Riptide. What was I thinking? I'd left a mortal girl out there to die. I was preparing to burst out and fight when Rachel Elizabeth Dare started talking in that rapid-fire machine gun way of hers.

"Oh my god! Did you see that kid? It's about time you got here. He tried to kill me! He had a sword, for god's sake. You security guys let a sword-swinging lunatic inside a national landmark? I mean, jeez! He ran that way toward those turbine things. I think he went over the side or something. Maybe he fell." 

The skeletons clattered excitedly. I heard them moving off.

Rachel opened the door. "All clear. But you'd better hurry."

She looked shaken. Her face was grey and sweaty.

I peeked around the corner. Three skeleton warriors were running toward the other end of the balcony. The way to the elevator was clear for a few seconds.

"I owe you one."

"What are those things?" she asked. "They looked like—"

"Skeletons?"

She nodded uneasily.

"Do yourself a favour," I said. "Forget it. Forget you ever saw me and really forget that you saw those skeletons. You'll thank me later."

"Forget you tried to kill me?"

"Yeah. That, too."

"But who are you?"

"Luke..." I started to say. Then the skeletons turned around. "They just don't quit!"

"What kind of name is Luke-they just don't quit?"

I bolted for the exit.

The café was packed with kids enjoying the best part of the tour—the dam lunch. Brooke, Zoe, and Grover were just sitting down with their food.

"I'm glad you guys had time to order, but no time to eat. We're leaving. Now!"

"But we just got our burritos!" Brooke whined. 

Zoe stood up, muttering an Ancient Greek curse. "He's right! Look."

"I know I'm right, that's why I'm telling you," The café windows wrapped all the way around the observation floor, which gave us a beautiful panoramic view of the skeletal army that had come to kill us.

I counted two on the east side of the dam road, blocking the way to Arizona. Three more on the west side, guarding Nevada. All of them were armed with batons and pistols.

But our immediate problem was a lot closer. The three skeletal warriors who'd been chasing me in the turbine room now appeared on the stairs. They saw me from across the cafeteria and clattered their teeth.

"Elevator!" Grover said. We bolted that direction, but the doors opened with a pleasant ding, and three more warriors stepped out. Every warrior was accounted for, minus the one Bianca had blasted to flames in New Mexico. We were completely surrounded.

Then Grover had a brilliant, totally Grover-like idea.

"Burrito fight!" he yelled, and flung his Guacamole Grande at the nearest skeleton.

Now, if you have never been hit by a flying burrito, count yourself lucky. In terms of deadly projectiles, it's right up there with grenades and cannonballs. Grover's lunch hit the skeleton and knocked his skull clean off his shoulders. I'm not sure what the other kids in the café saw, but they went crazy and started throwing their burritos and baskets of chips and sodas at each other, shrieking and screaming.

The skeletons tried to aim their guns, but it was hopeless. Bodies and food and drinks were flying everywhere.

In the chaos, Brooke and I tackled the other two skeletons on the stairs and sent them flying into the condiment table. Then we all raced downstairs.

"What now?" Grover asked as we burst outside.

I didn't have an answer. The warriors on the road were closing in from either direction. We ran across the street to the pavilion with the winged bronze statues, but that just put our backs to the mountain. 

The skeletons moved forward, forming a crescent around us. Their brethren from the café were running up to join them. One was still putting its skull back on its shoulders. Another was covered in ketchup and mustard. Two more had burritos lodged in their rib cages. They didn't look happy about it. They drew batons and advanced.

"Four against eleven," Zoe muttered. "And they cannot die. Joy."

"It's been nice adventuring with you guys," Grover said, his voice trembling.

Something shiny caught the corner of my eye. I glanced behind me at the statue's feet. "Whoa," I said. "Their toes really are bright."

"Luke!" Zoe hissed. "Now is really not the time. Get it together."

But I couldn't help staring at the two giant bronze guys with tall bladed wings like letter openers. They were weathered brown except for their toes, which shone like new pennies from all the times people had rubbed them for good luck.

Good luck. The blessing of Zeus.

I thought about the tour guide in the elevator. Her grey eyes and her smile. What had she said? There is always a way for those clever enough to find it. I contemplated whether I was going to do this, before sighing and praying to Zeus.

"Zeus, please, we need help to save Artemis and Annabeth and Andromeda. I know you don't like me, but maybe this can be payback for all of the times that I've saved your daughter's life and kept her safe over the years. Please."

Six skeletons raised their guns. The other five came forward with batons. Fifty feet away. Forty feet.

Nothing happened.

The skeletons closed in. I raised Backbiter, pushing Brooke and Grover behind me. Zoe sent me a nod, drawing her own bow as we waited for imminent doom.

A shadow fell over me. I thought maybe it was the shadow of death. Then I realized it was the shadow of an enormous wing. The skeletons looked up too late. A flash of bronze, and all five of the baton-wielders were swept aside.

The other skeletons opened fire. I raised my lion coat for protection, but I didn't need it. The bronze angels stepped in front of us and folded their wings like shields. Bullets pinged off of them like rain off a corrugated roof. Both angels slashed outward, and the skeletons went flying across the road.

"Man, it feels good to stand up!" the first angel said. His voice sounded tinny and rusty, like he hadn't had a drink since he'd been built.

"Will ya look at my toes?" the other said. "Holy Zeus, what were those tourists thinking?"

As stunned as I was by the angels, I was more concerned with the skeletons. A few of them were getting up again, reassembling, bony hands groping for their weapons.

"Trouble!" I said.

"Get us out of here!" Brooke yelled.

Both angels looked down at her, before cocking an eyebrow. "You the one who prayed?" 

"No, that's me!"  I called back.

"Could I get a please, Mr. Prayer guy?" an angel asked.

"Please!"

The angels looked at each other and shrugged.

"Could use a stretch," one decided.

And the next thing I knew, one of them grabbed Brooke and me, the other grabbed Zoe and Grover, and we flew straight up, over the dam and the river, the skeleton warriors shrinking to tiny specks below us and the sound of gunfire echoing off the sides of the mountains.

∘☽༓☾∘

Hiya,

So, Zeus and Luke tolerate each other and the only reason Zeus answered Luke's prayer is in payback for Luke saving Thalia so many times over the year. Luke's also completely done with life and Andi, who's been rubbing off on him. Zoe and Luke bickering like siblings brings me joy.

Let me know what you think and we are so closed to Andi coming back in, so, so close,

Love Li xx