𐌙/𐌍 Ᏽ𐌵𐌀𐌋𐌄 & 𐌕𐋅𐌄 Ᏽ𐌐𐌄𐌀𐌕 𐌌𐌙𐌕𐋅𐌔 ¹

Chapter 18

Eighteen
𖧷

Saying Adiós To My Older Sister

  We landed at Crissy Field after nightfall.

  As soon as Dr. Chase stepped out of his Sopwith Camel, Annabeth ran to him and gave him a huge hug. "Dad! You flew… you shot… oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

  Her father blushed. "Well, not bad for a middle-aged mortal, I suppose."

  "But the celestial bronze bullets! How did you get those?"

  "Ah, well. You did leave quite a few half-blood weapons in your room in Virginia, the last time you… left."

  Annabeth looked down, embarrassed. I noticed Dr. Chase was very careful not to say
ran away.

  "I decided to try melting some down to make bullet casings," he continued. "Just a little experiment."

  He said it like it was no big deal, but he had a gleam in his eye. I could understand all of a sudden why Athena, Goddess of Crafts and Wisdom, had taken a liking to him. He was an excellent mad scientist at heart.

  "Dad…" Annabeth faltered.

  "Annabeth, (y/n), Percy," Thalia interrupted. Her voice was urgent. She and Artemis were kneeling at Zoe's side, binding the huntress's wounds.

  I noticed she wasn't very good, so I immediately ran up to see what was going on, Annabeth and Percy came running behind to help, but there wasn't much we could do. We had no ambrosia or nectar. No regular medicine would help. It was dark, but I could see that Zoe didn't look good. She was shivering, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading.

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

  Artemis looked troubled. "Life is a fragile thing, Little Bear. 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 Zoe's side, but Zoe gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them.

  "Have I… served thee well?" Zoe whispered.

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

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

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

  But in that moment, I knew it wasn't just the poison that was killing her. It was her father's final blow. Zoe had known all along that the Oracle's prophecy was about her: she would die by a parent's hand. And yet she'd taken the quest anyway. She had chosen to save me, and Atlas's fury had broken her inside.

  She saw Thalia, and took her hand.

  "I am sorry we argued," Zoe 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," Zoe murmured. She smiled weakly at me. "Maybe a brother is actually a nice thing to have."

  A shudder ran through her body.

  "Zoe—" I said.

  "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," Zoe repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky. And she did not move again.