CHAPTER THIRTY
—stupid titan

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—IT took five whole painstaking minutes to calm Thalia down from her hysterics, believing her father had just smited them out of Dr. Chase's borrowed car. Trying to convince the girl that Zeus hadn't done it was futile because the god would 100% be the one to sabotage their quest — reasonable excuse or not.

But for the sake of helping Thalia chill out, they had to believe that he didn't do it.

After the daughter of Zeus regained her composure with a stony shake of her head, Zoë led the way through the valley. Soon, they approached a curtain of fog. "We have to be quiet and don't leave my side," Zoë said.

Judith adjusted her arm guard into its regular spot, knowing a fight could spark at any time. On the other side of the fog wall was a clear view of the sunset and mountain top. Her eyes followed the path in front of them through the lush meadow and twilight garden before finally spotting something wildly out of place.

The dragon.

It was lying beneath a tree, abundant in fruit. Judith could feel her mouth water as she looked at them, she hadn't had proper food in a hot minute.

"The apples of immortality," Thalia said. "Hera's wedding gift from Zeus."

"And whose gift was the giant reptile?" Judith muttered.

Zoë glared back at her and Judith just looked away, not in the mood to initiate an argument ( that wasn't true. She wasn't interested in starting one when she couldn't raise her voice ). Then again, she knew her and the Hunter had made incredible progress in the way of hostilities, did she really want to risk it all over something petty? Kind of, she conceded.

Looking away from Zoë tense form, she returned to staring down the sleeping dragon. It had maybe three heads that she could count, plus a few more on the other side of its body where she couldn't see. It could easily be mistaken for a hydra if not for its obvious wings.

Judith went to unsheathe her sword from her belt loops. "I'll take the heads."

Zoë turned around fully now and stopped Judith's action with an open palm. "Do not instigate a fight with it. You will not win."

Judith, having taken this as a challenge, brushed Zoë's hand off and stalked forward with her sword now drawn. She was stopped in her tracks as four figures shimmered into existence, four young women who looked very much like Zoë. They all wore white Greek chitons and held themselves with poise.

"Sisters," Zoë greeted. Judith scoffed, she could only deal with one Zoë, let alone five.

"We do not see any sister," one of the girls responded coldly. "We see three half-bloods and a Hunter. All of whom shall soon die."

"You've got it wrong." Percy stepped forward. "Nobody is going to die." The daughter of Ares was vaguely reminded of the promise the boy had made to Nico, telling him he would protect Bianca. Her eyes fell to the ground, no longer interested in running into the fray of dragon fighting.

"Perseus Jackson," one of them said.

"Yes," mused another. "I do not see why he is a threat."

"Watch it," Judith hissed, not appreciating the insinuation.

"Who said I was a threat?" Percy asked, moving in front of his friend ( or not friend? He wasn't quite sure ) so she was no longer the target of their glares.

The first Hesperide glanced behind her, toward the top of the mountain. "They fear thee. They are unhappy that this one has not yet killed thee." She pointed at Thalia.

"Tempting sometimes," Thalia admitted. "But no, thanks. He's my friend."

"There are no friends here, daughter of Zeus," the girl said darkly. "Only enemies. Go back."

"Not without Annabeth," Thalia declared.

"And Artemis," Zoë said. "We must approach the mountain."

"You know he will kill thee," the girl said. "You are no match for him."

Judith's hand clenched around her sword's hilt. She just may hate these girls more than Zoë herself. "What's your problem?" She asked and Percy grabbed onto her elbow as she stepped forward. She looked at him and snatched her arm back and he held his hands up in surrender.

"Impulsive child, thee will be first to fall," one of the girls said ominously. Judith just scowled at her.

"Artemis must be freed," Zoë insisted. "Let us pass."

The girl shook her head. "You have no rights here anymore. We have only to raise our voices and Ladon will wake."

"He will not hurt me," Zoë said.

"No? And what about thy so-called friends?"

With that, Zoë raised her voice, "Ladon! Wake!"

Judith was now on high alert and muttered, "So much for being quiet."

The dragon stirred, glittering like a mountain of pennies. The Hesperides yelped and scattered. The lead girl said to Zoë, "Are you mad?!"

"You never had any courage, sister," Zoë said. "That is thy problem."

The dragon Ladon was writhing now, a hundred heads whipping around, tongues flickering and tasting the air. Zoë took a step forward, her arms raised.

"Zoë, don't," Thalia said. "You're not a Hesperide anymore. He'll kill you."

"Ladon is trained to protect the tree," Zoë said. "Skirt around the edges of the garden. Go up the mountain. As long as I am a bigger threat, he should ignore thee."

"Should," Percy said with a nervous chuckle. "Not exactly reassuring."

"It is the only way," she said. "Even the four of us together cannot fight him."

"Good enough for me." Judith shrugged as they all witnessed the vicious monster rear its head and rise to its full height. She grabbed Percy's sleeve and dragged him off to the right while Thalia went left around the tree. The sooner they got to the peak, the sooner they could free Artemis and get Annabeth back, and hopefully kick some monster butt while they were at it. Judith pushed on quickly, knowing Zoë could handle herself if things went south.

And things went south pretty quickly. But just like Judith predicted, Zoë was able to evade all but one of Landon's snaps and raced up to meet the half-bloods at the end of the valley.

Judith held back for a moment and quickly said, "I saw him get you."

"It is alright. Just a small scratch."

And that was enough to assure Judith.

At the top of mountain were ruins, blocks of black granite and marble as big as houses. Broken columns. Statues of bronze that looked as though they'd been half melted. "The ruins of Mount Othrys," Thalia whispered in awe.

"Yes," Zoë said. "It was not here before. This is bad."

"What's Mount Othrys?" Percy asked.

"The mountain fortress of the Titans," Zoë expanded. "In the first war, Olympus and Othrys were the two rival capitals of the world. Othrys was —" She winced and held her side.

"You said it was nothing," Judith hissed. "A scratch."

"It is nothing," Zoë insisted and straightened out. Judith eyed her for a moment, but let the girl continue on. "I was saying ... in the first war, Othrys was blasted to pieces."

"But ... how is it here?"

Thalia looked around cautiously as they picked their way through the rubble, past blocks of marble and broken archways. "It moves in the same way that Olympus moves. It always exists on the edges of civilization. But the fact that it is here, on this mountain, is not good."

"Why?"

"This is Atlas's mountain," Zoë said. "Where he holds —" She froze. Her voice was ragged with despair.

"The sky..." Judith finished and Zoë nodded, continuing on up the mountain.

They had reached the summit. A few yards ahead of them, gray clouds swirled in a heavy vortex, making a funnel cloud that almost touched the mountaintop, but instead rested on the shoulders of a twelve-year-old girl with auburn hair and a tattered silvery dress: Artemis, her legs bound to the rock with celestial bronze chains.

"My lady!" Zoë rushed forward, but Artemis said, "Stop! It is a trap. You must leave now."

Her voice was strained and she was drenched in gleaming sweat. Just by looking at the goddess, Judith felt a weight pushing down on her own shoulders. Zoë was crying and ran forward despite Artemis's protests, tugging at the chains helplessly.

A booming voice spoke behind the group: "Ah, how touching."

They turned simultaneously to find the General standing there in his brown silk suit. At his side was Luke and half a dozen dracaenae bearing the golden sarcophagus of Kronos. Annabeth stood at Luke's side, her hands cuffed behind her back, a gag in her mouth, and Luke was holding the point of his sword to her throat. Judith's teeth gritted and she prepared to swing her sword at any moment.

"Luke," Thalia snarled. "Let her go."

Luke's smile was weak and pale. He looked even worse than he had three days ago in D.C. "That is the General's decision, Thalia. But it's good to see you again."

Thalia spat at him and Judith applauded her efforts internally.

The General chuckled. "So much for old friends. And you, Zoë. It's been a long time. How is my little traitor? I will enjoy killing you." Judith's eyes narrowed, Traitor?

"Do not respond," Artemis groaned. "Do not challenge him."

"Wait a second," Percy said. "You're Atlas?" Judith's mind reeled at the revelation, finding all the signs matching up in front of her.

"So, even the stupidest of heroes can finally figure something out. Yes, I am Atlas, the general of the Titans and terror of the gods. Congratulations. I will kill you presently, as soon as I deal with this wretched girl."

"You're not going to hurt anyone," Judith growled and Atlas looked at her unimpressed.

"Little girl, you're no use to me and no help to your friends. Ares is right when he says you're weak," the man spat back and Judith only backed away an inch. The thing about Ares only stung for a moment. She knew how her father felt about her, but it still hurt to be reminded again. "You puny heroes won't interfere. This is a family matter."

Percy looked between the Titan and Zoë. "What does he mean?"

Zoë replied bleakly, "Atlas is my father."

Judith, for a quick moment, wanted to conjure up any thought that would make her hate Zoë more for this fact. But she couldn't. Judith, despite the arrow to her foot, had gotten over the grudge she held against Zoë. After Bianca's death, it seemed pointless to try and hate the Hunter. And in the world that they lived in, a person couldn't be judged by the family they were born with.

"Let Artemis go," Zoë demanded.

Atlas walked closer to the chained goddess. "Perhaps you'd like to take the sky for her, then? Be my guest."

Zoë opened her mouth to speak, but Artemis said, "No! Do not offer, Zoë! I forbid you."

Atlas smirked. He knelt next to Artemis and tried to touch her face, but the goddess bit at him, almost taking off his fingers.

"Hoo-hoo," Atlas chuckled. "You see, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Kronos rules again, and this is the center of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility."

Annabeth was staring desperately at Percy and Judith but neither of them understood what her look meant. She was gesturing towards Luke in alarm. Her hair looked streaked with gray and Judith could tell it had something to do with holding the sky. It sucked the life out of her, she was just drained.

"I don't understand," Percy said. "Why can't Artemis just let go of the sky?"

Atlas laughed. "How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crush down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have taken the burden, there is no escape." Atlas smiled. "Unless someone else takes it from you." He approached the small group, studying them. "So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Not much of a challenge."

"Fight us, then we'll see who's a challenge." Judith clenched her fists and Percy lightly tapped one of them to let her know she was overstepping so many boundaries.

"Have the gods taught you nothing? An immortal does not fight a mere mortal directly. It is beneath our dignity. I will have Luke crush you instead."

"Sounds like a coward to me," Judith replied easily and Atlas's eyes glowed with blooming hatred. Percy then grabbed Judith's arm, not caring at that point that she might punch him in the throat for it later, and dragged her back to his side.

"Watch your tongue, little girl." With difficulty, he turned his attention to Thalia. "And as for you, daughter of Zeus, it seems Luke was wrong about you."

"I wasn't wrong," Luke managed. He looked terribly weak, and he spoke every word as if it were painful. "Thalia, you still can join us. Call the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you. Look!"

He waved his hand, and next to the halfblood group, a pool of water appeared: a pond ringed in black marble, big enough for the Ophiotaurus.

"Thalia, call the Ophiotaurus," Luke persisted. "And you will be more powerful than the gods."

"Luke ..." Her voice was full of pain. "What happened to you?"

"Don't you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!"

Thalia shook her head. "Free Annabeth. Let her go."

"If you join me," Luke promised, "it can be like old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world. Please, Thalia, if you don't agree ..."

Judith stared down her friend, shaking her head, begging her to stand her ground against his beckoning.

His voice faltered then. "It's my last chance. He will use the other way if you don't agree. Please."

"Do not, Thalia," Zoë warned. "We must fight them."

Luke waved his hand again, and a fire appeared. A bronze brazier, just like the one at camp. A sacrificial flame.

"Thalia, don't listen to him. He's manipulating you," Judith said.

Behind Luke, the golden sarcophagus began to glow. As it did, images appeared in the mist all around them: black marble walls rising, the ruins becoming whole, a terrible and beautiful palace rising, made of fear and shadow.

"We will raise Mount Othrys right here," Luke promised, in a voice so strained it was hardly his. "Once more, it will be stronger and greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia. We are not weak."

He pointed toward the ocean, and Judith's heart stopped. Marching up the side of the mountain, from the beach where the Princess Andromeda was docked, was a great army. Dracaenae and Laestrygonians, monsters and half-bloods, hell hounds, harpies, and other monsters Judith had never seen before. The whole ship must've been emptied, because there were hundreds. It would only take them minutes to be at the peak of the mountain.

"This is only a taste of what is to come," Luke said. "Soon we will be ready to storm Camp Half-Blood. And after that, Olympus itself. All we need is your help."

For a terrible moment, Thalia hesitated. She gazed at Luke, her eyes full of pain, as if the only thing she wanted in the world was to believe him. Then she leveled her spear. "You aren't Luke. I don't know you anymore."

"Yes, you do, Thalia," he pleaded. "Please. Don't make me ... Don't make him destroy you."

Percy leaned over the slightest bit to Judith. "Do you trust me?" He whispered.

Percy had yet to let go of Judith's arm and she hadn't snatched it away from him yet, but the question was alarming. Her boot lightly knocked against his sneaker, letting him know that she was ready to fight with him on his signal, but his question went unanswered. He nodded subtly and they glanced at Annabeth. She nodded back and that's when Judith decided to pull her arm from his grasp.

"Now," Percy breathed, and they charged.

NOTES;

I DON'T HATE THIS ONE SO MUCH. IT'S JUST EH TO ME

edited : 07 / 24 / 2020