¹Royal Cries, p. jackson

019.

ROYAL CRIES
━━ chapter nineteen

━━ ELISA KNEW WHAT it was like to be unfairly compared to your father. She knew what it was like to resent him and everything he stood for. But the horrible thing was: that Elisa could see the family resemblance between Atlas and Zoë. Just like she could see the resemblance between Dionysus and herself.

               Zoë's worst qualities—but the qualities Elisa had come to appreciate—were all there in Atlas. The Titan was all the things Elisa had first disliked about Zoë, but he had none of the good that was within the Hunter.

               "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 shouted out, "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.

               The Titan 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."

               Elisa glared at the Titan, all the anger and frustration from over the weeks building up. She knew there was nothing she could do to help Zoë or Artemis. There was no way she stood a chance against a Titan.

               "From holding up the sky," Thalia muttered, catching Elisa's attention. "The weight should've killed her."

               Elisa looked to where Thalia was staring, spotting Annabeth. The only time Elisa had ever met Annabeth was back at Westover Hall, but seeing the blonde here, something was off. The daughter of Athena had lived through something no one ever should.

               But Elisa knew what it was; there were grey streaks in Annabeth's hair. You could only have that kind of hair appear like that from holding the sky. It was your scars from bearing the weight of the sky—if you ever lived to tell the tale, that is.

               "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." The Titan smiled. "Unless someone else takes it from you."

               He approached the three demigods, studying them with cold dark eyes. "So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Not much of a challenge."

               "Fight us," Percy challenged. "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."

               "I don't know," Elisa said. "It just sounds like you're a coward to me."

               It was stupid to talk to a Titan the way she had, but seeing someone with so little empathy for anyone drove Elisa to the edge. She had seen some of what the worst humanity had to offer, and somehow Atlas rivaled all of it. He was the reason they had traveled across the country, why Bianca was dead, why it was just Elisa and Nico, and why Elisa had to tell Nico the one who had always been there would never be there again.