𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 || 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣¹

012

(chapter xii - the final countdown)

SELENE FELT PHYSICALLY better after Percy healed her wounds, but did she feel better mentally?

....No.

Zoë had explained they needed to visit 'the garden of her sisters'....whatever that meant. The Hunter refused to explain further, but she had a feeling it had something to do with that dream she had back on the train.

The only thing keeping her sane was Percy. His presence right next to her...it seriously calmed her down. He occasionally squeezed her hand, as if to say — I'm here.

And Selene appreciated that gesture more than she showed.

"We will never make it," Zoë sighed. "We are moving too slow. But we cannot leave the Ophiotaurus."

"Mooo," Bessie said. He swam next to Selene as they jogged along the waterfront, the shopping center pier long behind them. They were heading towards the Golden Gate Bridge, but the day went by quicker than anticipated. The sun was already setting in the west.

"I don't get it," Percy said. "Why do we have to get there at sunset?"

"The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset," The Hunter explained. "We can only enter their garden as day changes to night."

"....And what happens if we miss it?" Percy asked.

Selene didn't really want to know the answer to that question.

Zoë looked crestfallen. Selene assumed she blamed herself for Artemis's capture, and she had an urge to give Zoë a comforting hug. She didn't, though — she didn't want to be murdered today.

"Tomorrow is the winter solstice. If we miss sunset tonight, we would have to wait until tomorrow evening. And by then, the Olympian Council will be over. We must free Lady Artemis tonight." Zoë said.

Selene's eyes fell to the sand below her. She prayed to the gods Annabeth and Artemis were okay. She prayed that everything would go right.

She prayed that they would still all be here tomorrow.

"We need a car," Thalia insisted.

"But what about Bessie?" Percy asked.

Grover stopped in his tracks. "I've got an idea! The Ophiotaurus can appear in different bodies of water, right?"

"Well, yeah, I'd assume so," Selene said, shrugging. "I mean, Percy met him in Long Island Sound. Then, he popped up at Hoover Dam. Now, he's here."

"So maybe we could coax him back to Long Island Sound," Grover said. "Then Chiron could help us get him to Olympus."

"But he was following me," Percy said. "If I'm not there, how will he know where to go?"

Selene seemed to realize the problem quickly. "I'll have to go," She said. "I'm the only one who can talk to him."

Percy frowned. He clearly didn't like the idea. "But — you —"

"No," Grover cut in. "I....I can show him. I'll go with him."

"Grover," Selene started, confused. "Can you —"