CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
—dumb prophets

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  —FROM what Judith knew of the Luke-of-the-now, she kind of assumed his childhood house would be some dark, dreary shack out in the woods where he could wallow in misery. But looking out at the cookie-cutter house upon the grassy cliff-top, that little assumption couldn't be more wrong. Granted, it was very isolated; there wasn't another house for miles and miles, but it looked ... home-y. Pleasant, almost.

  The thought only stuck around for a second before it was replaced with repulsion.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Percy grumbled, hunched over in his driver spot on Mrs. O'Leary. The hellhound seemed to sense the threat of puke getting on her fur and bucked the two demigods off her back and to the lawn.

"— Mmph — dang dog," Judith muttered to herself, clambering up from the ground unceremoniously. Her head felt like exploding from the shadow travel trip, but she would die before submitting herself to what Percy was doing. He had his forehead touching the muddy ground, taking in heaping breaths in order to get his lungs in working order. His hair was totally windswept and wild ( nothing new, but it looked extra unkempt ).

  He took his sweet time collecting himself and impatient Judith nudged him to suck it up. As she was pulling her hand back to her side, he grabbed onto it to help heave himself into a standing position. She accepted the light squeeze he gave for the involuntary assistance.

Nico swaggered — more like stumbled — over from a shady tree by the deserted highway nearby. "It isn't for everyone," he said, amusement lacing with his lazy words.

Percy took one last breath before looking up at the two other demigods. "That was awesome!" He had a grin from ear-to-ear to accompany his excitement. Judith blinked before realizing he would be the one to be a roller coaster junkie that got sick on every ride.

  Nico chuckled at the awestruck son of Poseidon before becoming woozy with the effort. He yawned and his shoulder sagged to new lows. His exhaustion did not go unnoticed.

  "Geez, takes a lot out of you, huh?" Percy commented offhandedly, taking Nico's arm in his hand in order to keep the boy upright. He looked ready to pass out any moment, and that would not be ideal considering he was the one with the master plan. Judith may be privy to it, but she knew it was all up to Nico to fulfill it. "How did you learn to do that?"

  "Practice. A few times running into walls. A few accidental trips to China."

  "He's ended up in the camp lake a few times," Judith added. While the boy was still getting used to the accuracy of his traveling, he had experimented by trying to visit Judith in the woods. He was off by about half a mile every so often and took a dip a couple times.

  "I've gotten better," Nico slurred in retaliation. His head dropped down onto her shoulder across from him and she patted his head once.

"Are you going to take a nap too?" Percy asked him, making the three look at Mrs. O'Leary. As soon as the hellhound had discarded Percy and Judith, she'd found a garden planter to make her temporary bed. Her booming snores shook the ground beneath them.

  Nico shook his head, now fully stabilized on his own. "The first time I shadow traveled, I passed out for a week. Now it just makes me a little drowsy, but I can't do it more than once or twice a night. Mrs. O'Leary won't be going anywhere for a while."

"So we've got some quality time in ... Connecticut," Percy said, feigning excitement. "Brilliant."

  Judith shook her head before looking down to Nico for direction. "Lead the way." She gestured to the footpath that led up to the two-story colonial home.

  The boy straightened out, realizing for the first time that he was the leader of this mission. It was up to him to see it through to the best of his abilities as a hero would. "Right," he muttered, not exactly pleased with this new revelation.

  The little gravel walkway was normal; the little beanbag toys shaped like monsters, however, were not. They lined up strategically along the edges of the rocks and Judith swore they were following the demigods with their button eyes. She wouldn't mind drop kicking them off the cliff or taking a golf club to them, that would be a good release for anger. But she couldn't be sure that Ms. Castellan wouldn't come for her head over it.

  The front porch was infested with wind chimes made of sea glass, regular glass, and bits of scrap metal. Altogether, the sound wasn't pleasant, it was quite obnoxious. Percy went to tap one to make it jingle more and she caught his wrist before he got the chance. His eyes flickered to her and he nodded. "You're right. Could be cursed or something."

  She didn't even try to argue that that wasn't why she stopped him. Judith was just glad that he complied. Though, a cursed wind chime didn't sound too far-fetched.

  Coming up to the welcome mat, Judith was sure that the front door was once painted a vibrant turquoise — it would have totally fit the eccentric theme — but it was now a dull withered blue-green. The name CASTELLAN was written in English upon a small little plaque, and below in Greek: Διοικητής φρουρίου. The words roughly translated in Judith's head, and she was sure in the boys' heads as well.

  Fortress Commander. The origin of the Castellan surname.

  Nico looked over his shoulder, knuckles poised an inch from the wooden door. "Ready?"

  "No," Percy answered honestly and Judith rolled her eyes and said, "Just do it."

  He'd barely even tapped the door when it swung open with a suction of air, it left them all breathless for a moment. And before they could maybe think of inhaling, the lady in front of them was taking the oxygen away again.

  "Luke!" the old lady cried joyfully with glistening eyes.

  She was a total wreck, Judith had to admit. The woman couldn't have been more than fifty, and yet, her hair was fully white and falling out, there wasn't a spot on her face that wasn't marred with wrinkles, and her eyes — although electrified — looked weary and worn out. But boy, could she move. She had already tackled Nico in a hug.

  "Oh, my dear boy!" Her voice was muffled in the boy's big jacket. Judith couldn't even prepare herself for a smothering of her own before it came. "And Thalia! It's so good to see you again!"

  Judith couldn't even move, she had no idea what was happening, or what to even do about it. And neither did the boys, apparently. The girl was thankful when she was released and made sure to take a big step away.

  Percy was next, and he knew what was coming, hesitantly opening his arms to accept his fate. "Luke!" She cried again. "Come in!" she insisted. "I have your lunch ready!"

  It wasn't even ten in the morning yet, but that didn't seem to bother the woman. She ushered the kids inside with a lot of prompting. The living room was even weirder than the front lawn, if that was even possible. Mirrors and candles filled every available space, lighting up the area with an orange and inescapable glow. Judith and Percy made eye contact in a nearby mirror and they both looked completely clueless as to what was going on.

  "This way, my dears!" Ms. Castellan steered them toward the back of the house where the kitchen and dining area was, and Judith was thankful for a moment that this area wasn't completely surrounded in candles. But she took that back as soon as she got a whiff of the kitchen. It was dreadful and sickening. "Oh, I told them you would come back. I knew it!"

  Judith, in her desperate search to find the source of the smell ( old, moldy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in Tupperware ), disregarded the mention of 'them.' It just didn't seem important compared to the rest of the events that led up to this point.

  Ms. Castellan started humming as she got out peanut butter and jelly and started making two sandwiches. Judith could guess that she was making them for 'Luke' and 'Thalia' instead of the three who sat in her kitchen. She kept a concentrated eye on her guests, smiling at them gleefully, and Judith felt insanely uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if it was for the fact that she was considered 'Thalia,' or if it was because Percy and Nico were both 'Luke,' or the most obvious, that May Castellan was completely cuckoo.

  Above the sink, taped all around the window, were dozens of little pictures cut from magazines and newspaper ads — pictures of Hermes from the FTD Flowers logo and Quickie Cleaners, pictures of the caduceus from medical ads. He was a reoccurring theme in the house with little figurines and old paintings put up.

  Nico coughed, realizing once again, that he was the leader in this instance. "Um, Ms. Castellan?"

  "Mm?" Her eyes drifted to him wistfully and the boy gulped.

  "We need to ask you about your son."

  "Oh, yes! They told me he would never come back. But I knew better." She patted Percy's cheek affectionately, leaving behind smudges of peanut butter. Judith grimaced and reached for a nearby napkin to give him.

  "When did you last see him?" Nico asked.

  Her eyes lost focus, almost turning gray.

  "He was so young when he left," she said dolefully. "Third grade. That's too young to run away! He said he'd be back for lunch. And I waited. He came back once, with you, Thalia, and sweet Annabeth," she patted Judith's hand gracefully and the girl swiftly pulled it out of reach and into her lap, "and then he was gone again. He likes peanut butter sandwiches and cookies and Kool-Aid. He'll be back for lunch again very soon ..." Then she looked at Percy and snapped to attention again. "Why, Luke, there you are! You look so handsome. You have your father's eyes."

  She turned toward the pictures of Hermes above the sink and sighed longingly. "Now, there's a good man. Yes, indeed. He comes to visit me, you know."

  "Visit you?" Judith asked carefully. It was strange for an immortal to be so involved with a mortal, so she had to wonder why he continued to come back. "How often does he visit you?"

  "You just missed him, sweet Thalia."

  "What does he say to you?" The daughter of Ares pressed.

  "He tells me that there's still a chance for my dear Luke. He really is the best father, such a wonderful man."

  Judith sat back then, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Hermes wasn't winning any awards for best father of the year, but she knew there could be worse ones ... like Ares, for example.

  "Ma'am," Nico said. "What, uh ... what happened to your eyes?"

  Her gaze seemed fractured — like she was trying to focus on him through a kaleidoscope or some hazy fog. "Why, Luke, you know the story. It was right before you were born, wasn't it? I'd always been special, able to see through the ... whatever-they-call-it."

"The Mist?" Percy offered.

  "Yes, dear." She nodded encouragingly. "And they offered me an important job. That's how special I was!"

Judith was grasping at straws. It felt like she had all the pieces at this point, but the puzzle wasn't connecting, it wasn't coming together. She never had been very good at puzzles.

"What sort of job?" Percy asked. "What happened?"

Ms. Castellan frowned, her knife hovering over the sandwich bread. "Dear me, it didn't work out, did it? Your father warned me not to try. He said it was too dangerous. But I had to. It was my destiny! And now ... I still can't get the images out of my head. They make everything seem so fuzzy. Would you like some cookies?" She pulled a tray out of the oven and dumped a dozen hockey puck-worthy treats on the table.

To be polite, the two boys each picked one up. Judith refrained, knowing that she wouldn't have eaten one even if they were cooked perfectly.

"Luke was so kind," Ms. Castellan murmured. "He left to protect me, you know. He said if he went away, the monsters wouldn't threaten me. But I told him the monsters are no threat! They sit outside on the sidewalk all day, and they never come in." She picked up the little stuffed Medusa from the windowsill. "Do they, Mrs. Medusa? No, no threat at all." She beamed at the boys. "I'm so glad you came home. I knew you weren't ashamed of me!"

Judith had to wonder if Luke ever told her of the shame he felt to her face. No matter how crazy this woman might be, she was still his mother, and no one could possibly be that evil.

"Ms. Castellan," Percy started after the silence.

"Mom," she corrected.

"Um, yeah. Have you seen Luke since he left home that last time, with ... Thalia?" He glanced at Judith pointedly to help his case.

"Well, of course!"

Judith didn't get her hopes up. Based on the fact that both Percy and Nico were supposed to be Luke in her eyes, anyone who ever visited could be considered her son.

"When?" Nico asked. "When did Luke visit you last?"

"Well, it was ... Oh goodness ..." A shadow passed across her face. "The last time, he looked so different. A scar. A terrible scar, and his voice so full of pain ..."

"His eyes," Percy mentioned. "Were they gold?"

"Gold?" She blinked away the musty eyes. "No. How silly. Luke has blue eyes. Beautiful blue eyes!"

Nico and Judith glanced at each other, now knowing that the theory had been right. They just needed one more confirmation and everything would set itself in stone.

"Ms. Castellan?" Nico put his hand on the old woman's arm softly, their pale skin almost the same shade. "This is very important. Did he ask you for anything?"

She frowned deeply as if trying to remember. "My — my blessing. Isn't that sweet?" She looked at the kids uncertainly. "He was going to a river, and he said he needed my blessing. I gave it to him. Of course I did."

Nico looked at Judith triumphantly and she could also feel the swell of pride, knowing they had been right. "Thank you, ma'am. That's all the information we —"

Ms. Castellan gasped and doubled over, the cookie tray she'd been handling clattering to the floor. Nico and Percy jumped to their feet to hold her up before she keeled over. Judith stood up slower, watching the few candles that were in the space warily as they flickered dangerously. The smoky smell increased dramatically and it became harder to breathe.

"Ms. Castellan?" Percy said uneasily.

She yelled in pain — or anguish, or something that Judith couldn't even place. Percy stuck with her a moment longer to see what was wrong but was soon scrambling away into Judith's front as she flailed to straighten him out. "Her eyes," he mumbled in explanation for the sudden scare. Judith looked up after helping him upright. Ms. Castellan's eyes, she could see, were glowing green ominously.

"The Oracle," Judith said, finally finishing the puzzle in her mind. May Castellan had taken the gift of prophecy and couldn't handle it.

"My child," she rasped in a much deeper voice. "Must protect him! Hermes, help! Not my child! Not his fate —no!"

She grabbed Nico by the shoulders as he hadn't left her side and began to shake him as if to make him understand. "Not his fate!"

Nico made a strangled scream and pushed her away. He gripped the hilt of his sword. "We need to get out —"

Suddenly Ms. Castellan collapsed. Percy lurched forward and caught her before she could hit the edge of the table and black out. With Nico's help, he managed to get her into a chair, though she looked ready to fall out at any moment.

"Ms. C?" Percy asked tentatively.

She muttered something incomprehensible and shook her head. "Goodness. I ... I dropped the cookies. How silly of me."

Nico looked around at the mess for a moment before kneeling to start cleaning it up. He placed all the ruined cookies ( though, they were already ruined to begin with ) back on the pan. Luckily, since they were wildly overcooked, not many crumbs were left behind.

May Castellan blinked, and her eyes were back to normal, venomous green fading back to their dull and lifeless hazel.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked, stepping away after ensuring she wouldn't flop back to the ground.

"Well, of course, dear. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Judith stepped in, just knowing Percy would probably cause another break down with whatever he was about to say. "We'll — I'll tell Luke you said hello." She decided to take on the identity of Thalia to help ease May from her melt down.

The woman looked ready to envelop her in another hug, but Judith stepped back just in time. "Oh, Thalia, you were always so good to him. He's so very lucky to have found you." Judith felt uncomfortable hearing all this when neither Luke nor Thalia were present. "But — but you're can't leave!" She looked worriedly at the boys. "Hermes will be here soon," she promised. "He'll want to see his boy!"

"Maybe next time," Percy rushed out as politely as possible in his anxious state. "Thank you for —" He looked over at the pile of cookies Nico had collected on the pan. "Thanks for everything."

They were all in accordance as they flew out the door, unwilling to get caught up again in another fit. On the front porch, the deranged woman managed to grab onto Percy's wrist and they all spun around to face her. Judith's hand hovered over the scimitars at her belt, hesitant to use them, but willing to if it came down to it and Percy was put in danger.

But she only spoke to him, and somehow it seemed so much worse. "Luke, at least be safe. Promise me you'll be safe."

"I will ... Mom."

That made her smile and she released his arm, and as she closed the front door they could hear her talking to the candles with joy: "You hear that? He will be safe. I told you he would be!"

After the door shut, the trio raced down the steps, the little scattered beanbag animals on the sidewalk seemed to grin with delight as they passed and Judith kicked the mini empousa onto its back. She imagined it was Kelli for a moment and smirked.

They ran around the house to where they'd left Mrs. O'Leary in a planter, but she'd wandered off to the edge of the cliff. They found her nestled close to a cozy campfire and a young girl. She was absentmindedly petting the hellhound's head as she looked up at them.

"Hello," she said.

Nico bowed to the little girl and Judith reluctantly followed suit, knowing when she was in the presence of a god or goddess. "Hello again, Lady," the son of Hades addressed her.

She briefly acknowledged the two with a nod before turning her gaze to the son of Poseidon who had yet to do anything in regards to respect. Judith could tell he was still a little rattled by what had gone down in the house so she refrained from hitting him upside the head for his forgetfulness.

"Sit, my demigods," she said kindly. "Would you like some dinner?"

Judith didn't think she could stomach anything after smelling moldy sandwiches for the past half hour, but when the goddess waved her hand and a whole feast appeared, she couldn't possibly say no. Taking a plate with a baked potato, Judith sat comfortably upon the grass, Nico taking a spot on one side and Percy on the other.

Percy was the first one to scrape some of his food into the fire. "For the gods," he said before whispering something else..

The little girl smiled. "Thank you. As tender of the flame, I get a share of every sacrifice, you know."

If Judith had any doubt about who this goddess was before, it was gone. At first, the fire had been a pretty decent give-away, along with her age, but gods could manifest anything and appear as they pleased, so she couldn't have been sure. But her last comment about receiving a portion of every offering was the last little piece of information to prove to her that this was Hestia.

"I recognize you now," Percy chimed thoughtfully. "The first time I came to camp, you were sitting by the fire, in the middle of the commons area."

"You did not stop to talk," the girl recalled sadly. "Alas, most never do. Nico talked to me. He was the first in many years. Everyone rushes about. No time for visiting family."

Judith felt the twinge of awkwardness. She'd never noticed the goddess within the camp's borders, not like Nico or Percy. The daughter of Ares prided herself on being pretty observant, but her ignorance had blinded her in this case.

"You're Hestia," Percy said with confidence. "Goddess of the Hearth."

She nodded.

"My lady," Nico cut in, "why aren't you with the other Olympians, fighting Typhon?"

"I'm not much for fighting." Her eyes flickered red, but not in any type of anger ... more like worry. Where Ares had an inferno within his irises, Hestia had the comforting lick of a candle in her eyes. "Besides," she said, "someone has to keep the home fires burning while the other gods are away."

In show, she stoked the fire with an iron poker and the flames soared just enough to coat Judith's face in warmth.

"Now, please, eat," Hestia said.

Who were they to refuse a goddess?

The food was delicious and filling, though Nico looked a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food that sat in front of him. Judith was always sneaking things from the pavilion to give to him, but she could never get enough for a full meal. Not that he'd want it — that boy could live off of his McDonald's.

"Did you have a good visit with May Castellan?" The goddess inquired once the plates were cleared away.

The mood turned on its head again and Judith scoffed, "Define good. Her sight has made her go insane."

  Percy looked between them. "Wait, sight?"

  "She was born with a gift," Hestia said as an explanation to the boy. "She could see through the Mist."

  "Like my mother," Percy connected. "But the glowing eyes thing —"

  "Some bear the curse of sight better than others," the goddess said sadly. "For a while, May Castellan had many talents. She attracted the attention of Hermes himself. They had a beautiful baby boy. For a brief time, she was happy. And then she went too far."

  "The Oracle," Judith filled in, having figured it out with the green mist. She was surprised Percy hadn't cracked up that conclusion with how many times he'd earned a prophecy. "She couldn't handle it."

  The goddess's face darkened. "Yes, it is a story I do not like to tell. But May Castellan saw too much. If you are to understand your enemy Luke, you must understand his family."

  "No wonder Luke ran away," Percy said. "I mean, it wasn't right to leave his mom like that, but still — he was just a kid. Hermes shouldn't have abandoned them."

  "It's easy to judge others," Hestia warned. "But will you follow Luke's path? Seek the same powers?"

  Judith and Nico paused, now both wary of the goddess and her lectures. "Wait —"

  Nico interrupted Judith before she could go on a tirade. "We have no choice, my lady. It's the only way Percy stands a chance."

  "We're not turning back now," Judith finished.

  Hestia looked between the two and hummed, opening her hand and the fire roared. Flames shot like a jet thirty feet into the air. The daughter of Ares did not back down, she'd had her fair share of real heat, and this wasn't it. The fire died back down to normal. "Not all powers are spectacular." Hestia looked at Percy specifically as she said this. "Sometimes the hardest power to master is the power of yielding. Do you believe me?"

  "Uh-huh," Percy said, although it sounded more like he was just being agreeable. It was very unconvincing.

  But the goddess only smiled. "You are a good hero, Percy Jackson. Not too proud. I like that. But you have much to learn. When Dionysus was made a god, I gave up my throne for him. It was the only way to avoid a civil war among the gods."

  "It unbalanced the Council," Percy remembered. "Suddenly there were seven guys and five girls."

  Hestia shrugged. "It was the best solution, not a perfect one. Now I tend the fire. I fade slowly into the background. No one will ever write epic poems about the deeds of Hestia. Most demigods don't even stop to talk to me. But that is no matter. I keep the peace. I yield when necessary. Can you do this?"

  "I don't know what you mean."

  Hestia looked apprehensive and Judith knew that the answer wasn't enough. "He can. I know he can."

  The goddess studied the girl, both pairs of fiery eyes meeting and some form of understanding passed between the swirling tendrils of fire. "You have a lot of faith in this boy."

  Judith could feel his eyes on her and she sighed. "I do. And if you're trying to warn him away from making this choice, I —"

  Before she could say anymore, Hestia held a hand up gently in the air. "That is not what I've come to do." Judith released a breath she'd been holding inside. "I am here because when all else fails, when all the other mighty gods have gone off to war, I am all that's left. Home. Hearth. I am the last Olympian. You must remember me when you face your final decision."

  Her eyes were trained back on Percy, but his eyes hadn't left Judith's since she'd admitted to her faith in him. He spent a moment longer to really look at her and take her in. He'd once said that he trusted her judgement and her instincts, and he still stood by that. "I have to continue, my lady. I have to stop Luke ... I mean Kronos."

  Hestia nodded. "Very well. I cannot be of much assistance, beyond what I have already told you. But since you sacrificed to me, I can return you to your own hearth. I will see you again, Percy, on Olympus."

  Judith's head felt warm and fuzzy, a sensation she could only attribute with home. With her mother, with Camp Half-Blood, Nico. With Percy. Her whole body burned with the heat of the sun, but ... in a nice way, as the boy grabbed her hand just before everything turned dark.

NOTES;
THIS IS VERY LONG AND I'M NOT SUPER PROUD OF IT, BUT I FEEL LIKE YOU'VE WAITED LONG ENOUGH FOR AN UPDATE SO.

IT'S MAINLY PLOT ORIENTED AND THE TALK WITH HESTIA SEEMS KIND OF BORING TO ME, BUT WE STILL GOT LITTLE MOMENTS IN THEIR. AND IT'S THE LITTLE MOMENTS THAT COUNT.