[1] 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 ― p.jackson ✓

016.

「016. the prophecy is fulfilled 」

THE REALLY terrible thing was cadie could see the family resemblance in atlas and zoë. he wore the same regal expression as the hunter, the same cold proud look in his eyes that zoë sometimes got when she was mad. when cadie thought back to her dreams of delphina, she saw a bright child with eyes of dreams behind them and a smile that could light the whole world up. but this zoë, the one she knew now- she had been hit with grief, with betrayal, with loss and sadness. she was but a shell of herself now, her warm smiles replaced with a cold look similar to atlas'. but his was way worse and definitely evil.

"let lady 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."

cadie looked at annabeth. she was desperately trying to tell them something. she motioned her head toward luke. but all cadie could do was stare at her in shock. i hadn't noticed before, but something about her had changed. her blond hair was now streaked with gray.

"from holding the sky," thalia muttered, as if she'd read cadie's mind. "the weight should've killed her."

"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 us, studying the rest of them. "so these are the best heroes of the age, eh? not much of a challenge."

"fight us," snarked percy. "and let's see."

"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."

"luke," muttered lilly, "...luke."

"so you're another coward," percy said, completely ignoring lilly's realisation.

atlas's eyes glowed with hatred. with difficulty, he turned his attention to thalia. "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. if cadie didn't hate his guts so much, she almost would've felt sorry for him. "thalia, you still can join us. call the ophiotaurus. it will come to you. look!"

he waved his hand, and next to us 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!"