CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
—stupid death

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  —LIKE the absolute heroic idiot he was, Percy decided to attack Atlas unprovoked. Judith cursed him multiple times in her head as she fought off Luke's dragon-women bodyguards. They hissed in Judith's face but the girl successfully swiped them away. Turns out, they didn't like fire swords either.

  Her eyes drifted over to Percy every time there was a break in her fighting. He was dumber than anyone she'd ever met before, but watching him fend off Atlas ( only barely, but whatever ) was admirable and stupid and she had to force herself to look away.

  Atlas swung a javelin through the air and Percy went flying back into the wall behind him. "Fool!" He screamed gleefully, swatting aside one of Zoë's arrows with little thought. "Did you think, simply because you could challenge that petty war god, that you could stand up to me?"

  The mention of her father sent a jolt through Judith and she charged at the Titan. She wasn't standing up for her father by any means, but he was insulting her indirectly by calling him petty. But just like he'd done to Percy, she was smacked away with little effort just as Percy was standing to his feet with Riptide clasped in his hand.

  But he didn't attack like she thought he would. His eyes were wide and confused as he stared at his sword. Judith didn't know what was wrong with him but as he tried to dodge Atlas's advances, the javelin caught him in the chest and sent him flying like a rag doll. Judith made her way over to him on swaying feet, trying to figure out why his sword wasn't cooperating with him. They were right next to Artemis at that point.

  "Run," she told them. "You must run!"

  Atlas was taking his time as he stalked closer. Judith held her sword tightly, seeing Percy's was no longer in his possession. Luke and Thalia were fighting like demons, lightning crackling around them dangerously. Annabeth was on the ground, desperately struggling to free her hands.

  Judith positioned herself in front of the unarmed boy and stared down Atlas with fearful eyes. It was up to her at that point.

  "Die, little hero," Atlas said.

  And he raised his javelin to impale her.

  "No!" Zoë yelled, and a volley of silver arrows sprouted from the armpit chink in Atlas's armor.

  He bellowed I'm frustrated pain and turned toward his determined daughter. Judith breathed as his attention left, but suddenly Percy was doing something infinitely more stupid and she felt like she couldn't breath properly again.

  "The sky," He told the goddess next to them. "Give it to me."

  "Percy," Judith hissed, yanking his sleeve back as he approached Artemis.

  "No, boy," Artemis said, though her conviction was faint. Her forehead was beaded with metallic sweat, like quicksilver. "You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you!"

  "Annabeth took it!"

  "She barely survived. She had the spirit of a true huntress. You will not last so long."

  Judith gulped as she adjusted her arm guard to sit on her bicep lightly. "Then let me do it. You said I had the potential," the daughter of Ares said.

  Artemis looked like she wanted to argue, but she winced as the sky pushed down on her. Judith didn't wait any longer and slashed her sword at the chains and kneeled next to the goddess, bracing herself for the weight.

  "Judith ..." Percy's eyes were wide. Obviously, this hadn't been his intention when he first requested to take the sky himself.

  The daughter of Ares looked into his eyes for a moment before the crushing weight of the stormy clouds forced down on her. Artemis crumpled away and Judith almost blacked out immediately. It was unimaginable yet so real, the pain she felt. She could hear Percy yelling things at her and at himself and his strangled voice was just hard to comprehend. Every muscle in her body was on fire and her whole mind was melting through her ears. But then, the world felt lighter and Judith knew what was happening.

  "Stop," she hissed at the boy, but he was already under the burden and pushing her away.

  "Go find Zoë," he grunted out as he kneeled next to her. Judith didn't let up on her hold, thinking she could still convince him to get back out.

  But his eyes were closed and focused. Judith slowly brought herself lower to the ground until she was free again. She collapsed for a moment before crawling to her feet to look for Zoë. By Percy's tone, she could bet that the girl was hurt somewhere. And Judith knew that if the hunter hadn't caught her father's attention then Judith would probably be dead.

  It wasn't hard to find the glowing figure slumped on the floor. "Zoë!"

  The Hunter groaned and Judith saw the blood seeping through her clothes. The daughter of Ares placed her hands over the wound and applied pressure. "It's okay. You'll be okay. You said it was only a scratch, why didn't you say anything?!" Judith questioned frustratedly, seeing the obvious marking of the dragon.

  Judith didn't get much of a response, but the girl lightly placed her hands over Judith's shaking ones. Now that the girl was still, she could feel all her muscles sore and aching and probably bruised beyond belief.

  "The first blood in a new war," Atlas gloated from behind them.

  Judith glanced over her shoulder to see Artemis use a swift maneuver to send Atlas flying through the air and towards Percy. Judith hoped he understood what he needed to do. And, luckily, the boy rolled out of the way at just the right moment for Atlas to become trapped underneath the sky where he belonged.

  "Noooooo!" He bellowed so hard it shook the mountain. "Not again!"

  And Atlas was trapped under his old burden.

  Thalia backed Luke to the edge of a cliff, but still they fought on, next to the golden coffin. Thalia had tears in her eyes. Luke had a bloody slash across his chest and his pale face glistened with sweat. He lunged at Thalia and she slammed him with her shield. Luke's sword spun out of his hands and clattered to the rocks. Thalia put her spear point to his throat.

  For a moment, there was terrifying silence.

  "Well?" Luke asked. There was a fear in his voice that he tried to hide.

  Thalia trembled with fury.

  Behind her, Annabeth came scrambling, finally free from her bonds. Her face was bruised and streaked with dirt. "Don't kill him!"

  "He's a traitor," Thalia said with no remorse. "A traitor!"

  Artemis was now by Judith's side, attending to Zoë's wounds as well. Judith couldn't focus on one thing so she flipped her attention to the fight behind her and to Zoë on the ground.

  "We'll bring Luke back," Annabeth pleaded. "To Olympus. He ... he'll be useful."

  "Is that what you want, Thalia?" Luke sneered. "To go back to Olympus in triumph? To please your dad?"

  Thalia hesitated, and Luke made a desperate grab for her spear.

  "No!" Annabeth shouted. But it was too late. Without thinking, Thalia kicked Luke away. He lost his balance, terror on his face, and then he fell.

  "Luke!" Annabeth screamed.

  He disappeared off the side of the cliff and Judith knew he wouldn't survive the fall. She finally looked away from the scene until a booming voice from Luke's approaching army alerted her again.

  "Kill them!"

  Percy ran over, pulling Judith up from her spot. "We have to go, now. Artemis!" He yelled

  But the goddess looked up, her face almost as grief-stricken as Thalia's. Zoë lay in the goddess's arms. She was breathing. Her eyes were open. But still ...

  "The wound is poisoned," Artemis said.

  "Atlas poisoned her?" Percy asked.

  Judith held Percy back as he still attempted to rush the group away. "It was Ladon, Percy."

  She sighed as Artemis showed Percy the wound. "The stars," Zoë murmured. "I cannot see them."

  Judith looked up and desperately pleaded with the clouds to part, feeling like the girl deserved something peaceful. She prayed to Zeus, to all the wind gods, to whoever would listen.

  "Nectar and ambrosia," Percy said. "Come on! We have to get her some."

  No one moved and grief hung heavy in the air. The army of Kronos was just below the rise. Even Artemis was too shocked to stir. Just as the army of monsters came over the hill, a Sopwith Camel swooped down out of the sky.

  "Get away from my daughter!" Dr. Chase called down, and his machine guns burst to life, peppering the ground with bullet holes and startling the whole group of monsters into scattering.

  "Dad?" yelled Annabeth in disbelief.

  "Run!" he called back, his voice growing fainter as the biplane swooped by.

  This shook Artemis out of her grief. She stared up at the antique plane, which was now banking around for another strike.

  "A brave man," Artemis said with grudging approval. "Come, We must get Zoë away from here." She raised her hunting horn to her lips, and its clear sound echoed down the valleys of Marin. Zoë's eyes were fluttering.

  "Hang in there!" Percy told her. "It'll be all right!" Judith tapped the girl's cheeks just to make sure she stayed conscious.

  The Sopwith Camel swooped down again. A few giants threw javelins, and one flew straight between the wings of the plane, but the machine guns blazed. Judith was admiring how much destruction the old plane was wreaking. She was impressed.

  "That's ... my dad!" Annabeth said in amazement.

  The monsters were quickly realizing what was happening and targeting Dr. Chase now.

  Just then, the moonlight brightened, and a silver chariot appeared from the sky, drawn by majestic, silver deer.

  "Get in," Artemis said.

  Judith helped Artemis with getting Zoë into the chariot, feeling obligated to stay by the Hunter's side after witnessing her at her most vulnerable. Annabeth helped Percy with getting Thalia on board as the girl was lost in her own mind. Artemis pulled the reigns and they sped away from the mountain and into the air.

  "Zoë, come on, stay with us," Judith repeated over and over.

  "Tell me, Judith Sloane," she coughed out. "Tell me that my father is back where he belongs."

  Judith places more pressure on the girl's wounds. "He's back beneath the sky."

  The Hunter let out a relieved sigh. "The sky. It is riddled with storm clouds."

  "It'll clear soon, Zoë. You'll live to see it clear again," Judith vowed. "Just stay awake."

  Behind them, the army of Kronos roared in anger as they gathered on the summit of Mount Tamalpais, but the loudest sound was the voice of Atlas, bellowing curses against the gods as he struggled under the weight of the sky.

  Long after the sun had already set, the group landed in Crissy Field to reunite with Annabeth's dad. The girl gushed about his efforts and the man humbly shrugged it off like it was nothing. Judith, despite feeling every part of her body cramping up, kept her attention on the girl beneath her bloody hands.

  Judith hadn't let the pressure on her abdomen stop, but at this point, the infection was what was killing Zoë and Judith couldn't stop that, no matter how hard she tried. Her skin was paling and the light in her eyes was dim.

  "Can't you heal her with magic?" Percy pleaded with Artemis. "I mean ... you're a goddess."

  Artemis looked troubled. "Life is a fragile thing, Percy. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do. But I can try."

  She tried to set her hand on Zoë's side above Judith's, but Zoë gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them.

  "Have I ... served thee well?" Zoë whispered.

  "With great honor," Artemis said softly. "The finest of my attendants."

  Zoë's face relaxed. "Rest. At last."

  "I can try to heal the poison, my brave one."

  Zoë was shaking her head softly and Judith slowly relinquished the hold she had on the her stomach. "But —" she tried to argue, to convince the Hunter to hold on, but she just laid her hand on Judith's just like she'd done earlier.

  "I apologize for what I have said and done to you, Judith Sloane. I hope you can grow to forgive me," Zoë said softly.

  Judith knew that just two days ago she might have rejected this apology, but she'd grown to see the girl's true side. So she let her hand be held — an act unfamiliar to her. "You're forgiven."

  Next, Zoë took Thalia's hand. "I am sorry we argued," she said. "We could have been sisters."

  "It's my fault," Thalia said, blinking hard. "You were right about Luke, about heroes, men — everything."

  "Perhaps not all men," Zoë murmured. She smiled weakly at Percy. "Do you still have the sword, Percy?"

  Percy took out Riptide and placed it in her hand. She grasped it contentedly. "You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like ...  like Hercules. I am honored that you carry this sword."

  A shudder ran through her body and Judith latched onto her hand again.

  "Zoë —" Percy said.

  "The sky is clear," Judith whispered as she looked up. Zoë followed suit and let a smile drift onto her paling lips.

  "Stars," she whispered. "I can see the stars again, my lady."

  A tear trickled down Artemis's cheek. "Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight."

  "Stars," Zoë repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky, seeing things other-worldly that mere mortals could only wish to see. Judith pulled her hand away as Zoë didn't move again.

  Thalia lowered her head. Annabeth gulped down a sob, and her father put his hands on her shoulders. They watched as Artemis cupped her hand above Zoë's mouth and spoke a few words in Ancient Greek. A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoë's lips and was caught in the hand of the goddess. Zoë's body shimmered and disappeared.

  Artemis stood, said a kind blessing, breathed into her cupped hand and released the silver dust to the sky. It flew up, sparkling, and vanished. For a moment, there was no change. Then Annabeth gasped. Looking up in the sky, Judith saw that the stars seemed brighter and a new constellation lit up the dark. A young girl with a bow, running across the midnight sky.

  "Let the world honor you, my Huntress," Artemis said. "Live forever in the stars."

  There was a long moment of silence as the group stared upward.

  "I must go to Olympus immediately," Artemis said, her voice close to cracking. "I will not be able to take you, but I will send help."

  The goddess set her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "You are brave beyond measure, my girl. You will do what is right." Then her hand landed on Judith's shoulder. "I stand by what I said about your impulse, but you're courageous and would make a worthy huntress."

  Then she looked quizzically at Thalia, as if she weren't sure what to make of this younger daughter of Zeus. Thalia seemed reluctant to look up, but something made her, and she held the goddess's eyes. Judith watched the interaction, seeing a silent message pass between them. Her eyes turned to Percy next.

  "You did well," she said. "For a man."

  Percy's face feigned perplexity for a moment before it morphed into pride.

  Artemis then left on her silver chariot, giving the half-bloods one more look before flying off.

  Judith sent a reluctant gaze down to her hands, expecting to see the bloody mess. But instead, she saw a shimmery silver mist of dust falling around her feet, the remnants of Zoë's life on earth. Her chest heaved a heavy breath, taking one last glance up into the sky.

NOTES;

I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT JUDITH'S REACTION TO ZOË'S DEATH, BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS

edited : 07 / 25 / 2020