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☠︎
"If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"
"Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy guesses.
"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."
Morana's frame appears on the terrace as she lands and her wings tug behind her.
Her presence makes Percy feel a bit bad saying what he's about to say, "Hades". Chiron nods.
"That's bullshit", Morana's strong voice puts in, Chiron whipping his head around, not having noticed the girl approach them.
"The fields of Asphodel are crammed enough as it is", she states, voice oozing power yet Chiron doesn't seem to be hearing her words.
"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminds the girl. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."
"Yes, but—but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protests, earning a slightly disagreeing tilt of the head from Morana which results in the satyr to look away from her golden eyes and nibble his aluminium can. But even Morana must admit that the satyr is right.
"He must have had a different reason. Hades is in no position to gain from war", she seethes and at that moment Percy can see a glimmer of what everyone is so afraid of.
"A hellhound got into the forest", Chiron presses, looking at Morana challengingly which earns an angry clench of the girl's jaw, fire burning behind her eyes.
"Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here", Chiron only continues, looking at Morana with his eyes squinted the slightest, an expression Morana spots quite often.
"Chiron, you seriously can't think-", Percy starts to protest, glancing at the girl. "Typical", she huffs, grinding her teeth together and looking around the big house's terrace.
"I'm not accusing you, child of Thanatos", the centaur assures quickly and quite formally, Morana raising her head and looking him in the eyes, seemingly believing him but Percy sees how her jaw clenches and unclenches. "After all, you did save Percy Jackson from the hellhound", Chiron remembers, Percy nodding as if trying to convince Chiron of his own words.
