𝑨𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑺 • 𝑃𝐸𝑅𝐶𝑌 𝐽𝐴𝐶𝐾𝑆𝑂𝑁 ²

TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
—dumb blessings

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—THE fifth story apartment in Manhattan's lower class district that morning felt small, too small. It felt crushingly small. Headachingly small. Judith could barely breathe, let alone think clearly in the little living area that the demigods and hellhound found themselves in. And Ms. Jackson's eyes ...

They were big, so big and worried. And they broke Judith down to absolute silence.

Up until this point, Judith hadn't really realized just how much she was asking of Percy. Of course, she knew this was a big task to undertake, but when had Percy ever had a menial task? She was selfish, and she had convinced herself that this — this solution — could help him, and that he could only survive if he did this. But to have his mother, the woman who raised him — and only ever wanted the best for him — to have her hesitate and argue the idea with tears in her eyes. Well, it was a little reality check for the daughter of Ares.

  Percy Jackson wasn't untouchable, no matter how many times he'd evaded death, and no matter how much she willed him to be. If the past few years had taught her anything, it was that demigods weren't invincible. And she'd convinced herself that she could change that, that she could help him become invulnerable. But she'd ignored the blatant fact that she could be leading him to his early grave. Judith had forced that thought out of her mind long ago because the thought of Percy dying was just ... impossible.

  "Percy, it's dangerous," Ms. Jackson said and Judith couldn't meet her eyes when the woman looked at her pleadingly. She had opted not to speak at all either. She would defend this decision in front of Hestia, in front of any god. But she couldn't argue with Sally, not when it meant putting her son in an insurmountable amount of danger, not when she was slowly starting to realize the horror of what she'd done. "Even for you."

  "Mom, I know. I could die. Nico explained that. But if we don't try —"

  "We'll all die," Nico finished. "Ms. Jackson, we don't stand a chance against an invasion. And there will be an invasion."

  "An invasion of New York?" Paul said, still trying to wrap his head around everything Greek-related. "Is that even possible? How could we not see the ... the monsters?"

  "I don't know," Percy admitted. "I don't see how Kronos could just march into Manhattan, but the Mist is strong. Typhon is trampling across the country right now, and mortals think he's a storm system."

  "Ms. Jackson," Nico said, "Percy needs your blessing. The process has to start that way. I wasn't sure until we met Luke's mom, but now I'm positive. This has only been done successfully twice before. Both times, the mother had to give her blessing. She had to be willing to let her son take the risk."

  "You want me to bless this?" She shook her head. "It's crazy. Percy, please —"

  Judith wanted to stand up and get out of the room before she broke down. How could she have ever asked this of him? What kind of girlfriend — friend, person — asked such a burden on anyone? She was always saying he had enough on his plate, and now she was asking this? And he had agreed? Had she really been so manipulative? He was risking his life prematurely and she had forced him into it to fuel her need for war —

No, to save him. You did this to save him.

  The pinky on her left hand that Percy had been holding tried to twitch out of his grip. She needed to itch at her arm guards, needed to twist them around, they were too tight. But he wouldn't let go.