Where the Sky Is Held
After Percy finished looting the golden apples and gathering the scales that had fallen from Ladon, he put everything away with a small smile. He'd probably give some of those scales to Miraak as a gift, just so he could brag in front of his master that he'd defeated a hundred-headed dragon. Technically, that had to count as defeating a hundred dragons at the same time.
Or at least, that's what Percy thought.
Percy turned to look at his companions. They were clearly in a hurry, but all they could do was wait for him to finish gathering everything.
"Done?" Zoë asked in an irritated tone. Maybe it was because Percy had killed Ladon, a creature she'd fed with her own hands for hundreds of years. Or maybe the Hesperid in her still felt responsible for protecting the tree.
Or maybe she was just being herself.
"Yeah," Percy said calmly.
"Then it's time to continue. We can't afford to waste time, and even so—"
Before Zoë could continue with her bad mood and the worry she felt for Artemis, Percy gave her a mocking smile.
"Before you start complaining, you should be thanking me," he said, while at the same time briefly lifting his gaze toward the top of Zoë's head, noticing that, just like Bianca, the dark thread that had been there throughout the entire journey was gone. "And this time I didn't even do it on purpose. I'll just take it as doing a public service," Percy added dismissively.
Zoë, of course, didn't understand what Percy was talking about and simply raised an eyebrow. But it wasn't as if she was that angry anymore. She was still surprised after seeing him accomplish something even Heracles hadn't managed to do.
"Can we pass now?" Zoë asked her sisters in the same threatening tone Percy had used earlier.
Her sisters looked at her for a moment before simply turning around, not wanting to exchange another word with them.
Or maybe they were afraid of Percy.
Which turned out to be a really good thing.
The group continued on their way and left the garden without any of the Hesperides saying another word. Only after they disappeared into the shadows of the garden did they resume their singing as they watched them leave, a song that now sounded like a funeral lament, perhaps a farewell to the guardian who had protected the tree alongside them for their entire lives.
But Percy didn't care.
After all, he wasn't about to forgive some oversized bug that had tried to eat him alive or tear him into a hundred pieces just because someone happened to care about it.
With those thoughts in mind, as soon as they crossed the garden, they reached the entrance to the mountain's summit.
Percy slowed slightly when he saw the entrance, which was filled with broken columns and ruins buried beneath blocks of granite and black marble as large as houses. There were also melted bronze statues that looked even older than any historical monument.
"The ruins of Mount Othrys..." Thalia whispered, a trace of fear creeping into her voice.
Even Grover could only swallow hard, unable to say another word.
"Yes," Zoë said seriously. "They weren't here before... that's a very bad sign," she added, biting her lip.
"What's Mount Othrys?" Bianca asked. After all, she was still pretty new to this whole demigod thing.
"The Titans' stronghold," Zoë said. "During the First War, Olympus and Othrys were the two rival capitals. Othrys was..." She stopped, as if carefully choosing her words. "...devastated and destroyed. And its ruins will always follow Olympus, marking the edges of civilization. But... the problem is that it's here," she added, her expression growing more and more anxious, as though she'd just confirmed her worst suspicions—suspicions she'd been forcing herself to ignore this entire time. "Because this is Atlas's mountain... and the place from which he held..." She paused, panic creeping into her voice. "...the place where he held up the sky."
"The Great General..." Percy murmured as he turned his gaze toward the mountain's peak, where the clouds seemed to form a funnel that almost touched the summit.
"Yes," Zoë replied, her expression conflicted. "Let's move. I have to save my Lady," she said, her tone serious and resolute, no matter who she had to face to complete her mission.
"Come on. Annabeth is waiting," Percy said, taking the lead, followed by the others, while Grover and Bianca walked nervously at the back of the group. Bianca even hugged the jacket Percy had lent her a little tighter, trying to gather some courage.
At last, when they reached the summit, the first thing they saw was someone carrying what, according to the myths, seemed to be the sky upon his shoulders.
But it wasn't the person they had been expecting.
Instead, they found a girl who looked no older than twelve holding it up, her face drenched in sweat and twisted in pain. Her silver dress was now tattered and covered in mud, nothing like the regal and arrogant figure they'd first met.
Artemis.
Bound by Celestial Bronze chains that kept her from moving.
Zoë's eyes widened the moment she saw her like that.
"My Lady!" she cried, trying to run toward her.
But the instant Artemis saw her, she shouted.
"Stop! It's a trap! All of you have to leave right now!" she yelled, her voice filled with desperation.
It was probably the first time any of them had ever seen a divine being suffer like that. Especially Zoë, who looked like she was suffering just from seeing her Lady in such a state. Even so, she ignored the warning and rushed forward anyway, trying to pull at the chains with all her strength.
Then, suddenly, a voice came from behind the group.
"Ah... how touching."
Percy and the others turned around, finally coming face to face with the one who had orchestrated all of this, caused so many problems, and captured a goddess.
The Great General.
A tall man dressed in a brown silk suit that looked far too tight for the muscles packed beneath it, as though he were some kind of human mountain dressed in elegance. Or rather, exactly what his true name represented.
Absolute strength.
Atlas.
Percy wasn't paying attention to the Titan.
His gaze was fixed on Luke—or rather, on the person Luke was holding tightly while keeping the tip of his sword pressed against her neck, her mouth gagged.
Annabeth.
Her eyes locked onto Percy's the instant she saw him.
It made Percy clench his teeth for a moment as a dangerous aura began to surround him, very much like the one Ladon had given off during their fight just moments ago. His black sword was already in his hand before anyone seemed to notice, releasing an even more dangerous killing intent.
Atlas, who until then had been watching Zoë and Artemis with a sadistic smile, turned his head toward Percy.
For the first time...
He showed interest.
"Hm?" Atlas murmured, staring at Percy, who was completely ignoring him and looked like he might attack Luke at any moment.
Even Luke's eyes widened for a brief moment, his expression caught somewhere between confusion and caution as he sensed the danger pouring out of Percy's body. It only made him press his sword even harder against Annabeth's neck.
"Luke, let Annabeth go, or you'll regret it," Thalia said, gripping her spear as tiny arcs of electricity crackled around it.
Luke, whose attention had been fixed cautiously on Percy, finally turned back to Thalia. His body didn't seem to be in nearly as good a condition as the last time they'd met, when he'd gone to accept his title as the Titans' Champion during the Trial. Now he looked like a wreck—pale, exhausted, with even a few strands of gray in his hair.
"That decision belongs to the General, Thalia. But it's good to see you again. Both of you, actually. How's the competition going? Is it really okay for you two to be getting distracted?" he said, trying to sound mocking and disdainful, though his current appearance didn't exactly help.
But Luke's words made Percy frown for a brief moment.
As though he'd caught some hidden meaning in them.
"Be quiet," Atlas said to Luke, his tone both contemptuous and threatening.
Luke, however, didn't look frightened or crushed beneath the Titan's aura. He simply met Atlas's eyes with a defiant stare, without saying a single word.
Atlas let out a low growl at Luke's defiant look, but immediately turned his attention back to Percy and the others.