chapter ninety-three

─── let's get this party started (kronos' words, honest)

          ℭerberus is the one who drops me at the River Styx. He's nice enough to give me a lift from the palace and I can tell, without needing to look that Mrs O'Leary is following along behind us, trying to catch up. 

The river is just as polluted as it previously was, filled with broken toys, ripped up diplomas, rings, corsages, dreams that people have thrown away as they'd passed from life into death. The dogs and I look at the black water, and I pull a face.

I might be the daughter of the god of the sea, and you know, swimming was sort of my speciality, but this was making me wish that I didn't know how to swim.

"Do you think I just jump in?" The dogs and I tilted our heads, cocking an eyebrow. "It looks pretty grim."

Cerberus turns, growling and glaring behind me, and I find myself face to face with a Greek warrior. He's in armor, like he died fighting, a plumed war helm under his arm, but his eyes are human like, not god. There's an arrow sticking out of his left leg, just above the ankle, and I know who this man is in an instance.

"Achilles?" The ghost nods.

"I warned the other one not to follow my path. Now I will warn you."

"Puck? You spoke with Puck?" I imagine the small sixteen year old in my place.

"Do not do this." Achilles warns, as Mrs O'Leary grows closer to me, hackles raised. "It will make you powerful. But it will also make you weak. Your prowess in combat will be beyond any mortals, but your weaknesses, your failings will increase as well."

"So, I'll have a bad ankle. No issue, I'll wear boots." I shrug as Achilles looks at his bloody foot.

"The heel is only my physical weakness, demigod. What truly killed me was my own arrogance. Beware! Turn back!" He cries, the regret and bitterness clear in his voice. I knew he was honestly trying to save me, but I had to do it. I had to bathe in the River Styx and take on this power because otherwise, everyone I loved would die.

"I have to." I tell him. "Otherwise, I don't stand a chance."

Achilles dropped his head.

"Let the gods witness I tried. Heroine, if you must do this, concentrate on your mortal point. Imagine one spot of your body that will remain vulnerable. This is the point where your soul will anchor your body to the world. It will be your greatest weakness, but also your only hope." Achilles tells me. "No many may be completely invulnerable. Lose sight of what keeps your mortal, and the River Styx will burn you to ashes. You will cease to exist."

"Don't suppose you can give me a hint about Puck?" I joke, knowing that he will say no.

"Prepare yourself, foolish girl! Whether you survive this or not, you have sealed your doom!" With that, he vanished. I turn to the dogs.

"Wait!" They both whimper and lie down, as I turn to the river. I concentrate, thinking of a point on the small of my back. It's high enough up that it will always be below my armor or a sword. No one could go for it by accident, and few would aim on purpose. It wasn't perfect, but it would do. I pictured a string connecting me to the world from that point and I stepped into the river.

It was worse than having lava poured on me, much worse. As soon as the water touched my body, my muscles turned to jelly and I fell face first into the current, submerging completely. I couldn't breath.

I could feel my body disintegrating, seeing faces in the water. I saw my mom giving me her blessing, Tyson saying that I had to be safe, Grover's worry when he opened the door, Annabeth's stress at the fight, the pressure from the camp but even with this, I was losing the fight. The pain was too much. 

Jesus, Andi! The cord, you idiot! There was a tug at my lower back and I could have cried at the sound of Luke's voice. Come on, Sleeping Beauty, now's not the time to go dying on me.

I could see Luke now. He was standing on the canoe lake pier, whilst I was messing around in the water, doing lamps. He laughed, reaching out his hand to haul me up. He was in his orange camp shirt and swimming trunks, his hair wet like he'd just come out the water, smile wide.

"You're such a graceful swimmer, then I see you walk." He chuckles. "Come on, Andi, take my hand. We've got shit to do."

Memories come flooding back to me, I stop dissolving. My name was Andromeda Jackson.

I reach up and take his hand, suddenly bursting out of the river and onto the sand. The dogs are whining, trying to get to me, but I wave them off. Shaking my head, the liquid from the river drops off of my hair, my skin burning red. I look for Luke, thinking that he was there though I knew he wasn't.

My skin goes back to normal, and I spit to the side, and whistle for Mrs O'Leary. She's sniffing at me now, like there's something different, and I feel different. But now, I have a job to do. I have to find Puck.

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When we get topside, I call Luke. He picks up immediately.

"Where the hell are you?" He hisses. "What is going on?"

"I'll explain when you get here, not over the phone. Where are you?" I question.

"We're on our way to New York, your mom gave me a message. We're at Queens, Midtown Tunnel." Luke explained, and I can hear voices in the background, of other people. "Andi, what are you planning? We've left camp virtually undefended, and there's no way the gods-"

"Just, trust me, Luke. I'll see you there." Mrs O'Leary and I head up to the Empire State Building  and, as I wait for the others, I take a moment to look around. This could be the end of life as we know it. This could be it. This could be the end of life as we knew it if I didn't win.

Three white vans pulled up to the curb, Delphi Strawberry Service plastered on the side. I'd never seen everyone in the same place at once, but yet here they were. A bunch of campers pulled out, Chiron coming out last but I noticed a distinct lack of Five. Clarisse wasn't there.

In total, we had forty odd campers. That was the most I'd ever seen in one place.

Everyone looked nervous, and I understood why. This was it, this was the war. I looked around, looking at the campers I'd known for years, knowing one of them was going to betray me. One of them was the spy. Luke was one of the last out. He was dressed in combat armour, Backbiter strapped across his back and another dagger at his waist.

"Hey..." He jogged over, leaning down to kiss me quickly and make sure that I was alright. "You kind of did a runner, had me worried for a bit."

"Needed to see my mom." I smile, as Mrs O'Leary nudges him until he strokes her. Annabeth is approaching, a laptop bag slung over her shoulder, and dagger strapped to her arm.

"Thanks for coming everybody." I squeezed Luke's hand, turning to the others. "Chiron, after you."

Chiron shook his head, watching me with an unknown expression on his face.

"I came to wish you luck, my girl. But I make it a point never to visit Olympus unless I am summoned."

"But you're our leader." He smiled at me, before tilting his head as if to ask me if that was still true. Was he the leader if I was standing opposite him, having called the campers in for war?

"I will go gather what allies I can. It may not be too late to convince my brother centaurs to help." Everyone turned to me expectantly. I was just glad that Luke hovered by my side, because if he was looking at me for what to do, then I think I'd be out of my depth. But Luke trusted me.

"I told Luke on the phone, something bad is happening, tonight most likely. Some kind of trap. We've got to get an audience with Zeus, convince him to defend the city." I explain, though I doubt that Zeus will listen. "We can't take no for an answer."

I ask Argus to watch my dog, which neither of them looked particularly thrilled about. Chiron shook my hand.

"You'll do well, Andromeda. Just remember your strengths and beware your weaknesses." I nod, trying to give him a confident smile before backing away and heading inside, towards the security guard.

"School group? We're about to close." He mutters.

"No." I shake my head, six hundredth floor." He checked us out, looking up and down the group and I knew he had noticed the weapons, but he didn't say anything.

"There is no six hundredth floor, kid." He said it monotonously, and I cocked an eyebrow. "Move along."

"Forty demigods attract an awful lot of monsters. You really want us hanging out in your lobby?" I point out, grinning as he hits a buzzer. The security gate opens.

"Make it quick."

"You want us to go through the metal detectors?" Luke questions, sharing a look with me as the guard shakes his head.

"Elevator on the right. You know the way." I hand him a few drachmas. We have to take two trips to get everyone up in the elevator. I go in the first group, leading those who'd never been to the New York base of the gods. I lead them up the path, and out the way as Annabeth hovers next to me.

"You look different." She mutters. "Where exactly did you go?"

"To see my mom, I told you." I smile at her as the second group joins us, Luke having led them up. The place is practically deserted. Occasionally we catch a glimpse of someone but then they're gone and it's just us.

"Look!" Pollux calls, pointing to the horizon. Riptide is in my hand in an instance. "What is that?"

Blue lights are streaking across the evening sky, heading towards the buildings but they fizzle out as they seem to get close. It's strange, they do no damage but they're still going.

"Like infrared scopes." Michael muttered. "We're being targeted."

"Let's keep going." I move them on, not liking it at all. No one was guarding the hall of the gods, the doors wide open and our footsteps echo in the throne room. We walked towards the thrones and a woman's voice said,

"Hello again, Andromeda Jackson. You and your friends are welcome." Hestia stood by the hearth, poking the flames with a stick.

"Lady Hestia." We all bowed to her as she regarded me with red glowing eyes.

"I see you went through with your plan. You bear the curse of Achilles." Luke tenses beside me, the other campers muttering among themselves. "You must be careful. You gained much on your journey but you are still blind to the most important truth."

I bow my head, knowing that she wants me to think on Puck, on his family and how that'll be affected. I huff, before looking back up. I have a job to do.

"Lady Hestia, we've come on urgent business. We need to see-"

"We know what you need." A god shimmered into existence next to Hestia and if Luke's could get tenser, he did, a scowl forming on his face. Hermes was dressed in a flight suit, military grade, his staff in his other hand, entwined with the serpents.

"I will leave you now." Hestia disappeared into smoke and I understood why. Hermes didn't look happy. Despite him being my boyfriend's dad, I wasn't sure how much trouble I was in for the whole Curse of Achilles stunt or if there was something else.

"Hello Andromeda. Luke." Both of us stepped away from the other campers, who took notice and disappeared further away to leave us to talk.

"Lord Hermes. George, Martha." I nod to the snakes as Luke mutters out some form of hello to his father, still looking like he was in a foul mood. In fact, both of them were in a foul mood. "Right, so I'm going to ignore this, we need to speak to Zeus, Hermes, it's important."

"I am his messenger. May I take a message?" Hermes was cold, his eyes steely, a look I'd seen on my boyfriend fairly often.

"Don't be mean to Andi." Luke spits back.

"I'm not."

"Guys, do a sweep of the city. Check the defences, see who's left in Olympus. Come back in thirty minutes!" I call as Luke and Hermes exchange quiet, cold words with each other. There was some protests, and Luke turned, glare icy. They all disappeared at that. Annabeth looked like she wanted to stay, but I cocked an eyebrow and she too was gone. "Can I speak or am I going to be smited?"

"You can speak, Andromeda." Luke cocked an eyebrow, going to protest as I talked over him.

"Kronos is going to attack New York. I assume Athena foresaw it."

"Athena..." Hermes grumbled. "Don't get me started on Athena. She's the reason I'm here at all. Zeus didn't want any of us to leave the front line but Athena kept pestering him not stop so naturally, I was sent to talk to you!"

"Well, always good to see you." I mutter, as Luke spits out a comment that doesn't sound anything polite. I think this is probably the first time I've ever seen Luke properly interact with his dad and I now understand why they don't. Neither of them look like they wish to see each other. "It is a trap. I assume Zeus knows that."

"He hasn't left New York completely undefended."

"The blue lights-"

"Some mischief by Hecate I am sure." Hermes waved it off. "You may have noticed that they aren't doing any damage. We have strong wards. Aeolus has sent his most powerful minions to guard the citadel. No one can approach from the air. If Kronos wants to get here, he'll have to march through the entire city with his army and take the elevators! Can you see him doing that?"

"Yes." I nod. "Maybe a few of you could come back."

Hermes shook his head impatiently.

"Andromeda, you don't understand. Typhon is our greatest enemy."

"I thought that was Kronos." I point out. "Look, I get the gods are annoyed that I helped raise him, would have been great if someone had given me a heads up that I could create earthquakes, but guess what, no one did and I have to live with people being dead on my hands. So sorry, but there are two fronts, someone has to come back and help us, it cannot be left to children."

"We do not have the power we did in the old times. We cannot expect help from your father because he is fighting his own war. Hades sits in his realm and does nothing! Persephone follows his lead." Hermes shot back. "We can't divide our forces, nor wait until he gets to New York. We have to battle him now. We're making progress."

"Progress?" Luke cocked an eyebrow. "Didn't he destroy St. Louis? I get the gods don't really care for human lives, but how is that progress?"

"He destroyed only half of Kentucky! He's slowing down, losing power."

"This is getting nowhere." I stop the argument before it can start. "Are there any messages for us?"

"Athena said to say that you are on your own. You must hold Manhattan without the help of the gods." Luke and I both roll her eyes and walk off. "She said to tell Annabeth plan twenty-three and lastly to Andromeda, remember the rivers."

"Remember the rivers?" I cock an eyebrow before sighing and agreeing. "Fine."

"I will leave you now. I have a war to fight."

"No, goodbye Luke, hope you don't die." Luke snarls. "Father of the year right there."

"Luke, now's not the time." I grab him, pulling him backwards as Hermes glares right back at his son. We both turned as Hermes disappeared. Luke is shaking with anger and maybe this is the reason that I never see him and Hermes in the same room together. They're too much alike to ever think of the other's differences and accept them. "Luke..."

"Don't." He stops me before taking a deep breath and in a moment, he's masked it all and is back to the stone cold face of someone about to go to war. "What have you done?"

"I went to visit Brooke, talked to her. She can't fight, her mother's stopped her magic but she gave Puck a blessing. I didn't tell her that she blessed Puck to get the curse of Achilles, but she did."

"So then you went and talked to your mother and bathed in the River Styx." Luke guessed. "Figures. Where's Nico? I assume he put this idea in your head."

"With Hades and it was my choice, Luke. I wouldn't have gone through with it otherwise." I told him everything, about talking with Hades and Hestia, all the way to when I jumped in the river, the vision of him pulling me out and then coming back here. By the time I'm done, he's slumped by his father's throne, his head in his hands. 

"Do you have any idea how stupidly dangerous that was? And you didn't tell me!"

"Cause I knew you'd say no. This was the only way, Luke, the only way I could beat Puck." I remind him. 

"Di immortals, so Puck did it and you thought, why don't I do it too?" Luke hissed, eyes narrowed as I shrug. "Just because someone does something stupid, doesn't mean you have to copy."

"Hey." I snap back, pointing a finger at him. "I have to fight him, not you, not Annabeth, me. If there's anyway to have an advantage, to be on level grounds, of course I'm going to take it! I almost died when he cut me slightly with a scythe before this. Now, I can hold my own."

Both of us take a moment to calm down before we say anything that we don't mean. He reaches for me first, a silent apology of sorts, kissing my hand before standing up to kiss my head and hold onto me. I tighten my grip on his armor, burying my head into his neck as he rocks me. For a moment, I surrounded by the smell of clean aftershave and Luke's deodorant, mixed with this pine forest scent that follows him everywhere. It's completely him and it calms me.

"I'm sorry, Andi." He pulled back, kissing me softly before taking a deep breath. "We'll get through this."

"Just got to defend New York first." That was the precise moment Annabeth appeared, as if summoned. I turn, not pulling away from Luke just yet. "Plan twenty three, Annie! Tell me what you've got!"

She pulls her laptop out, scrolling through it before whistling.

"Gods, we have a lot of work to do. It's dangerous, things must be bad." Annabeth winced. She goes to open her mouth but Connor appears.

"Luke, you've got to see this." Luke and I follow the two youngsters out. The blue lights in the sky have stopped, so I don't understand why they're so panicky. They were looking over the side, down and into the city below. Someone passes me some binoculars and I look down below me.

For a moment, everything looks normal but something is wrong. It's too quiet.

"I don't hear anything." Annabeth whispered and I pull back, agreeing as I try and listen for cars, machinery, something? But yet, there's nothing and New York is never silent. That's the one thing you can be certain of when you grow up in the city, it would never be silent.

"What have they done?" It feels like part of me has been stabbed. "What did they do to my city?"

I focus the binoculars and look around. Traffic has stopped, pedestrians lie on the sidewalks. There was no sign of violence, no wrecks, nothing like that. It's as if all the people in New York have decided to stop what they're doing and pass out.

"Are they dead?" Silena calls as my stomach turns to ice. One of the lines of the prophecy rings in my ears: And see the world in endless sleep. My conversation with Grover comes back to me as well.

"Not dead." I say, shaking my head. "Morpheus has put the entire island of Manhattan to sleep. The invasion has started."

∘☽༓☾∘

Hiya,

So, Hermes is stressed cause of the war, everyone is stressed, Luke and Hermes can't be in the same room together without trying to end each other so that's fun. I do love the little Andi and Luke moments but yes, we're getting to the battle and towards the end and there's some fun things planned, that's for sure.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx